Selection Dynamics as an Origin of Reason

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SELECTION DYNAMICS AS AN ORIGIN OF REASON (Causes of Cognitive Information - a Path to ‘Super Intelligence’) Marcus Abundis1 Abstract This study explores ‘adaptive cognition’ in relation to agents striving to abide entropic forces (natural selection). It enlarges on a view of Shannon (1948) information theory and a ‘theory of meaning’ (Abundis, 2016) developed elsewhere. The analysis starts by pairing classic selection pressure (purifying, divisive, and directional selection ) and agent acts (as flight, freeze, and fight responses), to frame a basic model. It next details ensuing environs-agent exchanges as marking Selection Dynamics, for a ‘general adaptive model’. Selection Dynamics are then shown in relation to chaos theory, and a fractal-like topology, for an initial computational view. Lastly, the resulting dualist-triune topology is detailed as sustaining many evolutionary and cognitive roles, thus marking an extensible adaptive informational/cultural fundament (13 pages: 5,700 words). Keywords: adaptivity, natural selection, evolution, information theory, theory of meaning, information science, cognition, chaos theory, fractal, cultural ecology. INTRODUCTION – The Evolutionary Landscape This paper explores general agent adaptivity as a living informatics, with agents ‘thinking like nature’ (natural informatics) as the adaptive goal. To start, Earth’s reflexive unfolding (dynamic environs) presents a stage upon which all life arises and evolves. As such, earthly entropy must be mapped before naming any notion of adaptive agency or living informatics. Earthly entropy vis-à-vis life is often shown as purifying, divisive, and directional selection pressure (Figure 1). Here, dispersive or ‘entropic’ forces presumably overwhelm existing agents and drive a shift to new agent roles. Agents are seen as submitting to those forces, where genomic variations innate to each agent drive the difference between eventual survival or death. Only ‘survivors’ reproduce and come to present new agent roles for each species. Figure 1: Classic Selection Pressure. Agent populations (areas under dashed lines) find new niche roles (solid lines), where material resource shifts (arrows) force new agent traits and roles to arise. ‘Agent selection’ occurs between remaining resources (niche affordance) and agent resource needs. As a Divisive example, a river crossing an elevating plain erodes a wide gap (natural boundary), where two squirrel species then arise from one ancestral species, as seen in Grand Canyon National Park. Lastly, Purifying selection is reductive, but Divisive selection and Directional selection are expansive, and thus afford ‘forced novelty’.

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Organizational Behavior (GFTP), Graduate School of Business, Stanford University (March 2011). 16 May 2017 – M. Abundis


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Selection Dynamics as an Origin of Reason by Marcus Abundis - Issuu