Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia; Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.
Heuristic Evolution by trial & error and by skin in the game
Post 73.February 25, 2019
Magic versus Heuristic
Magical creation vs heuristic programming
Atheists find comfort in the observed fact that evolution is not miraculous, but heuristic1 : blindly groping in the dark, and serendipitously stumbling upon positive adaptations. As noted in Post 72, this is not how a Genesis-type creator works his magic. Yet the trial & error processes of Nature have some-how managed to flourish a simple bud of raw energy into an astronomical organism with signs of emergent intelligence. That marvelous transformation is more like slow systematic construction than the presto-changeo of “let there be light”. Ironically, theoretical scientists have analyzed the mathematical logic behind that deliberate & persistent upwardly-tending chain-of-change, and traced it back to an antecedent causal2 spark, from which this constitutional3 cosmos began.
Although it seems to be blindly searching in no particular direction, heuristic behavior is not lacking in intelligence. Random probing-plus-feedback is how an embryo learns to adapt to its environment, to grow to maturity, and hopefully to reproduce. It’s also how Artificial Intelligence and Cybernetic4 Systems work. Unlike an instantaneous act of magic, heuristic questing is a patient pragmatic method for finding temporary solutions that are sufficient to move-on to the next phase in the zig-zagging path to a final solution. The intermediate steps are not as important as the ultimate goal though. Which is why hubristic humans prefer to imagine that divine creation ended on the sixth day, when sapiens were placed in charge of the whole eco-system.
Instead of starting at the top, creative evolution is an ongoing trial & error & correction learning process. It requires gathering & interpreting information from the context, then applying that knowledge to the next stage in development. Natural Selection works like a teleological5 mechanism, turning random trials into non-random adaptations by eliminating errors – that which is not fit for the future. We now know that the progressive process of gradual evolution began from a point of origin, which was like a nucleus of DNA information, and which created its own cellular membrane (3D space), filled it with cytoplasm (matter), and then began to grow (4D time) by converting raw potential into active energy and matter. Therefore, we have good reasons for interpreting the evidence of qualitative development as a sign of preternatural Entention4 like the Will of a Mind. That’s what I call Intelligent Evolution6.
Although the Cosmos appears to be evolving toward some ultimate resolution, individual humans are clearly not the darlings of the deity. We are expendable, just like all other rejects weeded out by Natural Selection. So our purpose must be completed in a brief life-span by recycling whatever useful information we have gathered into a package suitable for the next generation. That knowledge may be encoded in chemical DNA or in intellectual memes. You contribute to the overall goal of creation by adding the personal touch of knowledge gained by having “skin in the game”. We literally risk our lives in order to survive for the next moment; but that’s an investment, not a gamble. However, any post-life reward for “sticking our necks out” is a matter of low-risk speculation. Unless, of course, you have good reasons to expect eternal punishment for failing to wager on long odds.
End of Post 73
1. Heuristic : A trial & error process, which enables a person to discover or learn something for themselves. https://en.wikipedia.org/Heuristic
2. Cause & Effect : “Multiple philosophers have believed that causality is metaphysically prior to notions of time and space.” The most common name for that timeless Cause is God, or in my vocabulary : G*D.. https://en.wikipedia.org/Causality
3. Constitutional : Having an established governing set of principles. Possessing a program for working toward a goal.
4. Cybernetic : Applied intelligence by communication of inform-ation, and control of direction. The art of Piloting. A teleo-logical method for guidance to a goal. https://www.pangaro.com/definition-cybernetics.html
5. Entention : A focused tendency. Will-power. Teleological process toward a goal. The quality of aboutness; reference to something external. https://en.wikipedia.org/Entention
6. Intelligent Evolution : Contrary to Intelligent Design theories, IE doesn’t have to support ancient myths of seven day creation. Instead, it explains the unmistakable signs of design as a 15 eon program of calculation from nothing to everything, Ø to ∞. [ click here for popup ]
N O T E S
Programming versus Learning : Ordinary digital computers function by following pre-defined algorithms, while Artificial Intelligence operates by exploratory trial & error. The Cosmos advances via trial & error, plus error-cor-rection by natural selection. That’s not random bumbling, but Intelligent Evolution.
Programmer vs Magician : The obvious teleological tendencies of our evolving world could not have arisen from the noise of background randomness. Instead, it would require the addition of music in the form of tempo (time), volume (space), and melody (meaning). Ancient stargazers dis-covered the same numerical & geometric patterns in the sky, in plants, and in their own constructions. So they attributed those functional & ornamental devices to a cosmic Mathematician or Musician or Magician in the great beyond. Unfortunately, their divine metaphors & analogies to earthly examples were taken too literally by the common people. But today, in view of the long history of conflicts between believers in various man-like god-models, we can see the wisdom of rising above idolatry (worshiping physical objects), to instead appreciate the artistry of the Great Architect in the sky.
Reward for risk : Most religious systems are based on the assumption that people deserve compensation for serving the interests of their deity, and also deserve a penalty for failing to meet the requirements of their Lord. But perhaps Virtue is its own reward. https://www.psychologytoday.com/virtue-truly-is-its-own-reward
Heuristic Search for Truth : [ click here for popup ]
Intelligent Evolution (IE)
Intentional Evolution with a mind of its own.
This concept is the mutant offspring of an inter-species mating between Evolutionary theory and Information Theory.
• Darwin’s 19th century theory was expanded and improved in the 20th century by incorpo-rating Genetics, with DNA as the carrier of essential “design” information from one gen-eration to the next. Natural Selection then
removes the new design prototypes that don’t
“fit” the requirements of the current context and environment.
• Now 21st century science has discovered
that natural Evolution is also guided by artificial Memes. Genes are information in physical form, while Memes are information in meta-physical form. Human minds are now capable of trans-mitting information from one generation to another faster and farther than old-fashioned sex-organs.
• Inadvertently though, Memetic Evolution—otherwise known as human culture—like a naïve student driver, has begun to steer the course of natural progression toward a dangerous down-ward spiral of Devolution. But we can’t expect a hands-off deistic God to save us from our own stupidity. So it’s up to us (homo sapiens) to collectively grab the wheel of Artificial Selection and get back on track: to put the intelligence back into evolution. • Contrast with Intelligent Design (ID), which attempts to justify ancient scriptures by wresting modern science.
Heuristic versus Rational Search for Truth
Quote from Skin In the Game :
"Religious beliefs are simply mental heuristics that solve a collection of problems."
For pragmatists like Taleb, such short-cuts to wisdom may be sufficient. But for those who are motivated to get as close as possible to Truth, it's a cop-out.
Quote from Wikipedia :
"In psychology, heuristics are simple, efficient rules which people often use to form judgments and make decisions. They are mental shortcuts that usually involve focusing on one aspect of a complex problem and ignoring others. These rules work well under most circum-stances, but they can lead to systematic deviations from logic, probability or rational choice theory. The resulting errors are called "cognitive biases" . . . . Heuristics usually govern automatic, intuitive judgments but can also be used as deliberate mental strategies when working from limited information." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristics_in_judgment_and_decision-making
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