Homeostasis was coined by the French physiologist Claude Bernard (1813 – 1878). Despite continuous turnover, for short periods of time, our (adult) body does not change its appearance. You may experience homeostasis by watching a lake. Despite continuous water inflow and outflow, for short periods of time its surface remains constant.
In a lake homeorhesis (rhesis = flow) might be
more appropriate. I apply it also to describe the flow of material
and cells in the body. For every cell born one has to die Dead[cell]
= Born[cell]
v. Streaming Organism
Since cells beget cells {omnis cellula e cellula) they inherit their features as well as their complexity. As cells mature their complexity is affected by outside factors. This additional complexity is not inherited. We may therefore distinguish between the inherited cell complexity, or genotype, and acquired complexity, phenotype.
These concepts were tested experimentally and are therefore valuable.
It seems to me that the concepts which you raised
cannot be tested experimentally. Like:
1). The 'randomly varying replicator' is the atomic unit of life.
3). Cellular homeostasis results from a highly dynamic set of interlocking
feedback loops where the point of balance fluctuates according to
data harvested from the environment.
I agree with you that:
2). Inheritance is not perfect
Back to complexity
index