Traditionally, biologists believed that life is an accidental happening ―
the result of an extremely rare chemical event. It follows that the
likelihood of its happening again elsewhere in the cosmos is almost zero. This viewpoint derives from the second law of thermodynamics,* which predicts that the universe is dying ― slowly and inevitably moving toward a state of total chaos. Life resists this trend only because it is a statistical oddity.*
There is, however, a contrary view ― one that is gaining strength and directlychallenges orthodox biology. It is that complexity can emerge spontaneously through a process of self-organization. If matter and energy
have an inbuilt tendency to amplify and channel organized complexity, the
odds* against the formation of life and the subsequent evolution of
intelligence could be drastically shortened.
The relationship of self-organization to biology remains hotly debated. It suggests,however, that although the universe as a whole may be dying, an opposite, progressive trendmay also exist as a fundamental property of nature. The emergence of extraterrestrial life, particularlyintelligent life,
is a key test for these rival views.
最終文にkey test とあります。今回のキーワードであるThe emergence of extraterrestrial lifeは鍵となるテストだそうです。後ろを見ると these rival viewsと書いてあります。ライバルなので、上で示した2つの対比された見方に対して地球外生命体の存在の有無が重要であるということのようです。
まとめ:対比を抑え、論理構成を理解する
1:テーマ(The emergence of extraterrestrial life)に関して2つの科学的な意見が対比し述べられている
2:前者を表す単語がsecond law of thermodynamicsで後者を表す単語がself-organization
3:前者のsecond law of thermodynamicsはuniverse is dyingというネガティブな言葉が述べられている
4:筆者が重きを置いているのは後者のself-organizationの方である
5:テーマのThe emergence of extraterrestrial lifeが重要である理由は、2つの視点の正しさをテストするKeyとなるから