Abstract
The final chapter uses the fundamental axiom of an emergent included middle and the LIR two-level framework as a basis for a discussion of emergence in biology. The principles of LIR permit the formulation of a physics and chemistry of living systems that includes a locus for the potentialities necessary for emergence. A categorial interpretation of the related issues of closure and downward causation is developed, using the LIR notions of time, simultaneity and succession outlined in Chapter 7. LIR is presented as a logical system that can compensate for the inability of standard logics to address general issues in biological science. The application of LIR to the major problems of the origin of life and evolution and natural selection is suggested, and the essential role of the Pauli Exclusion Principle as the physical basis for the emergence of diversity and living systems emphasized. The chapter closes with a comparison of LIR and several current semiotic, thermodynamic and contextual views.