She cited the example of birds that vary the height of their nests according to potential flood levels. Life is attracted to order, but it uses messes to get there. It takes a lot of messes to get it right, notes Wheatley. The tendency of the system is to find its order. This is in opposition to Darwinian theory, Wheatley says.
Life comes together with other life because that makes life possible.
It looks messy, but it is directed toward order. Life is self-organizing. Systems can develop a whole pattern of being that emerges from the work of the system. Life organizes around identity. A system will change to preserve itself.