Sometimes a small perturbation of a system could cause it to switch from one pattern to another. Kauffman proposes that his idea could account for the origin of life, body shapes and even cultural patterns and economics. Complexity theorists point to computer simulations of the patterns of clam shells and other shapes found in nature. But this has little relevance to the real world of chemicals. Chemicals obey the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and do not arrange themselves into self-sustaining metabolic pathways.
Living cells have molecular machinery to channel the chemistry in the right direction and amounts.
If the clam shell pattern on the computer screen was enlarged, there would be no traces of cells with cilia, mitochondria, DNA, etc. It is small wonder that even most sections of the evolutionary establishment are sceptical of complexity theory. But it excels at generating computer graphics. A Critique of Current Scientific Models. The Mystery of Life's Origin , Philosophical Library Inc., New York.