Conditions for Major Transitions in Biological and Cultural Evolution
Evolution by natural selection can be seen an algorithm for generating creative solutions to difficult problems. More precisely, evolution by natural selection is a class of algorithms that share a set of properties. The question we address here is, what are the conditions that define this class of algorithms? There is a standard answer to this question: Briefly, the conditions are variation, heredity, and selection. We agree that these three conditions are sufficient for a limited type of evolution, but they are not sufficient for open-ended evolution. By open-ended evolution, we mean evolution that generates a continuous stream of creative solutions, without stagnating. We propose a set of conditions for open-ended evolution. The new conditions build on the standard conditions by adding fission, fusion, and cooperation. We test the proposed conditions by applying them to major transitions in the evolution of life and culture. We find that the proposed conditions are able to account for the major transitions.
Code (0)
등록된 구현이 없습니다.
Tasks
Cultural Vocal Bursts Intensity PredictionSimilar Papers 제목 키워드 기반
Exploring Major Transitions in the Evolution of Biological Cognition With Artificial Neural Networks
Transitional accounts of evolution emphasise a few changes that shape what is evolvable, with dramatic consequences for derived lineages. More recently it has been proposed that cognition might also have evolved via a se…
Towards physical principles of biological evolution
Biological systems reach organizational complexity that far exceeds the complexity of any known inanimate objects. Biological entities undoubtedly obey the laws of quantum physics and statistical mechanics. However, is m…
A Computational Model of Two Cognitive Transitions Underlying Cultural Evolution
We tested the computational feasibility of the proposal that open-ended cultural evolution was made possible by two cognitive transitions: (1) onset of the capacity to chain thoughts together, followed by (2) onset of co…
DiversityVocal Bursts Valence PredictionThermodynamics of Evolution and the Origin of Life
We outline a phenomenological theory of evolution and origin of life by combining the formalism of classical thermodynamics with a statistical description of learning. The maximum entropy principle constrained by the req…
Towards a Theory of Evolution as Multilevel Learning
We apply the theory of learning to physically renormalizable systems in an attempt to develop a theory of biological evolution, including the origin of life, as multilevel learning. We formulate seven fundamental princip…