Origin of Life - Is it Grand Design?

While coming back from California to India last month, we traveled by Korian Airlines. Generally we find the fashion, travel guide and sale product magazines kept for reading for each seat and there is noting worth reading except good photographs. However, to my surprise I found a magazine devoted to profile and work of philosopher Schopenhauer.

I had developed a liking for western philosophy by reading `Story of Philosophy' by Will Durant in my college days and had read Schopenhauer's pessimistic view of life and chapter on his Will theory. I read the magazine from end to end and learnt about life of that great philosopher. His hypothesis that will to live is the basis of life can be proved by examples but question remains Why and how the will originate in living species.

I had recently read great scientist Hawking's comments that mystery of origin of universe is explainable on scientific grounds and not on Grand Design idea. Schopenhauer's theory coupled with linking of scientific theories set a train of thoughts in my mind on various aspects of it.

Why there is cycle of birth and death for all living species from their time of first formation to present time. Is it because the frail organic body cannot sustain for long in changing environment? Sustainability requires constant input, proper environment and efficient working of every part of living body. Is reproduction a solution found by nature for sustainability?

Why the life itself undergoes changes with time?

I think Newton’s law is applicable everywhere. Resistance to change is inherent in living and nonliving still change occurs continuously. In inanimate bodies, it could be looked upon as the manifestation of randomization. Even living things resist change. They wish to continue on the same path. The will to survive is seen in every living being. What is the reason of this will originating in living object? Or is it present even in non living. Whether it gets separate identity due to rigid and well structured organization. When living becomes dead, what happens to that will? Does it get disintegrated in small separate units. The grand design of life is the handiwork of this will or will is result of grand design? Or this is only effect of complex organic structure to environment?

Tide or wave dissipates its energy in te form of turbulence and displacement of water mass. Still the energy of tide does exist, but now in scattered form. Breaking and recombination of DNA does retain the characteristics in new structure.Form cphanges but energy quantum remains same.

Energy can be provided to living body by mechanical means, but it cannot be kept sustained and active in the body unless it has its own will.

How to introduce will in nonliving material object?

Why life is vulnerable? Is it because the combination of elements in living object is much more intricate than nonliving matter? It seems so as sub-micron size DNA strand also can hold large memory storage and slit change in environmental parameters can destroy or alter its characteristics. Research in biotechnology does not attempt to find the reason for existence of will or consciousness but tries to manipulate DNA structures and observes changes in characteristics. It is totally black box approach, where inner process of transformation remains mystery.

We may never know the answers to these questions as our brain functions only on reason-effect logic and cannot comprehend actions without any reasons. Origin of universe or of living species suggest otherwise.