Living systems maximise entropy. If the system dies out, it fails in doing that, and entropy increases more slowly. So: self-perpetuation is pretty much an automatic corollary of long-term entropy-maximisation. The best way to flatten those energy gradients is often to have lots of kids—and to let them help you.
More important than negentropy is continued existence. If the simulation gets shut down, you’ve already lost all you already have.
Living systems maximise entropy. If the system dies out, it fails in doing that, and entropy increases more slowly. So: self-perpetuation is pretty much an automatic corollary of long-term entropy-maximisation. The best way to flatten those energy gradients is often to have lots of kids—and to let them help you.