What does Maxwell's demon want from life? When information becomes functional and physical

TL;DR

This paper explores the nature of information in Maxwell's demon, proposing that functional information, which has a real physical status, arises from the demon's goals and evolutionary processes, linking information to life and technology.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of functional information as physically real, derived from the demon's goals and evolution, challenging traditional views of information as purely formal.

Findings

Functional information is physically real and goal-dependent.

Evolution can endow demons with genuine goals requiring work.

Distinction between functional and formal information clarified.

Abstract

Szilard's one-molecule engine is operated by a Maxwell's demon attempting to convert heat to work. It is argued here that when using the demon to relate information to work (Landauer's principle), the demon's goal must be regarded as an implicit assumption that should not be taken for granted. Other demons than the standard one can be constructed depending on their assumed goal. When the demon is purely mechanical, the goal is instilled in it by its design. When the demon is regarded as "intelligent" (Maxwell) and "endowed with free will" (Thomson), it is not so clear whence he could acquire a specific goal. A solution is to subject the demon to evolution by natural selection, which in an extended form can provide the demon with a genuine goal for which work is necessary. This implies that the information the demon acquires and uses for operating the engine becomes functional for the demon, and thereby acquires a real physical status. Such information, called functional information, applies to all life and technology. It should be distinguished from the formal, causally ineffective information that can be defined, more arbitrarily, for any system. Information in general is not physical, only functional information is. A similar functional/formal distinction applies to close associates of information, in particular entropy, probability, and the second law of thermodynamics.