This is correct. There is a mutual exchange of energy and information between the organism and the ecosystem it is part of. However, there is an asymmetry in this exchange.
In India, this is understood through lotus as a symbol. It grows from the mud, but stays above it. (1/N)
In India, this is understood through lotus as a symbol. It grows from the mud, but stays above it. (1/N)
One way to explain this relationship is that the lotus takes only the good from the environment and rejects the bad. This enables it to maintain the balance of its own constituency.
This is a good explanation, but simplistic. The reason is that "good" and "bad" are subjective.
This is a good explanation, but simplistic. The reason is that "good" and "bad" are subjective.
The analogy with the lotus is actually more interesting than that. The lotus is a symbol of completeness. I discussed this in this article.
In order to be completely aware of the environment, one needs to take both the good and the bad.
pragyata.com/mag/the-infini…
In order to be completely aware of the environment, one needs to take both the good and the bad.
pragyata.com/mag/the-infini…
Unless one has an internal representation in one's own consciousness, one would not be able to sense the bad from the environment. If one is sensing the bad, that necessarily means this "bad" thing is already present inside. That is correct & natural. So what is the lotus doing?
What the lotus represents is a model that is complete, that represents all that is there in the environment. This is a holistic model, that necessarily means it is cosmic in nature. Not just affected by local perturbations. The "bad" is then overwhelmingly balanced by the "good".
It is not only that, the "good" that we find in anything is always a small selective understanding of that phenomenon. When taken to excess, that same thing will become bad. Completeness means this is harmoniously balanced with the conceptual opposite that is also "good".
Lotus is a visualization of the fractal nature of these models, each internal model successively getting closer to the true phenomenon of consciousness. Just like the round of petals around the bud of the lotus. The "good" is filtered through these fractals towards the centre.
The misunderstanding stems from the fact that "information" is too ambiguous a word to describe what is happening here. As Shannon himself was aware, "information theory" is not a complete theory for describing biological processes. What is missing in his theory is "meaning".
To come back to your question, there is indeed a mutual exchange of "meaning" between an organism and the environment. But not "information" in the Shannon sense of the term. There is an asymmetry in the flow of this information. This is what guards the low-entropy envelope.
Instead of saying "good" or "low entropy", I prefer to use the Sanskrit term "Sattva". This correctly reflects the philosophical sense. "Sat+Tva" the measure of reality (i.e, complete and cosmic reality) that is present inside an organism. This "sattva" needs to be guarded.
This fractal Mandala is a bookmark for this argument. (end) 
