My general conclusion is that this paper should be published in its
present form with only one correction to the references (see
below). In general author has done an excellent job of responding to
reviewers including my own previous comments. This is a very strong
paper which is sure to make an important and lasting contribution to
the literature. The author is to be commended for his diligence. His
competence and deep grasp of the material finally I believe shines in
this re-write. I would further like to explicitly support his response
to the other reviewers as well both in places where he has made
requisite changes and other places where he has held his ground with
the necessary argument and illustration. In all of this he has done an
impressive job. Not just the author, but the Editor as well as the
other reviewers all deserve credit for their perseverance. The result
I believe has been worth it.

Reference correction:

In my first review of author's paper I noted that where he cites
Swenson's "problem of the population of one", an important idea for
his paper, he cited a paper that did not have that in it. In his
subsequent revision he cited a paper for this point but which my
experience suggests is not widely accessible. In my re-review I said
as much and suggested several very accessible papers of Swenson's that
make this point. In this re-write author is now citing a paper which
does not contain this idea, although it is a paper I recommended be
included as the minimal paper that should be cited for Swenson's more
general points and his 'law of maximum entropy production' as
correctly discussed by the author. So here again below are the notes
on citations that were included with my last review. Author should
pick one (but not the first) from the first list for the "problem of
the population of one" point he makes (on page 2) and then use the
Swenson (2000) paper for the law of maximum entropy production and
other general points he cites. He should also use Swenson's 1989 paper
as he uses it for the first time as he does when he mentions any of
the general points (along with the 2000 paper). Neither of these
papers though mention the "problem of the population of one," It is
important to use the 1989 paper since this was the first widely
published article where the general ideas of Swenson's were published
but it is important that the 2000 paper be cited as a general
reference for these ideas since the 1989 paper does not express the
main principle the way it came to be expressed in almost every
subsequent paper afterwards (from 1990 on).

In short, author needs to add an additional reference to Swenson that
covers the "problem of the population of one". He needs the other two
references (1989, and 2000) exactly as he uses them for Swenson's
"principle" and the other general ideas of Swenson's he appropriately
discusses and articulates.

Here are the citations I provided last time:

Population of One:

SWENSON R. 1991. End-directed physics and evolutionary ordering:
obviating the problem of the population of one. In The Cybernetics of
Complex Systems: Self Organization, Evolution, and Social
Change. F. Geyer, Ed. :41-60. Intersystems Publications. Salinas, CA.

SWENSON, R. 1997. Autocatakinetics, evolution, and the law of maximum
entropy production: a principled foundation toward the study of human
ecology. Adv. Hum. Ecol. 6: 1-46.  http://www.spontaneousorder.net/

SWENSON, R. & M.T. TURVEY. 1991. Thermodynamic reasons for
perception-action cycles. Ecol. Psych. 4: 317-348
http://www.ecologicalpsychology.com

Swenson, R. 1996. "Thermodynamics and Evolution." In G. Greenberg and
M. Haraway, eds., The Encyclopedia of Comparative Psychology. New
York: Garland Publishers, Inc.
http://www.entropylaw.com/thermoevolution2.html

General Review Swenson's principle:

Swenson, R. (2000). Spontaneous Order, Autocatakinetic Closure, and
the Development of Space-Time. Annals New York Academy of Sciences,
vol. 901, pp. 311-319, 2000.
http://evolution.philosophyofscience.net/