Wednesday, February 08, 2006
[evomech] Define of Evolution 2
Evolution means change. One possible alternative to `biological
evolution is genetic change or genetic change in populations' is
thus `biological evolution is defined as any change in a biological
operating or assembly instruction'. As should be obvious, this
represent a very dramatic proposed change in the definition and
concept of biological evolution. The rationale for proposing such a
dramatic change is reasonably straight forward- the old model or
concept didn't work and the new one will.
With respect to the six points raised in the initial post:
1. What changes?- The proposed definition suggests that
biological evolution involves changes in information processing or
causal (input-output) relationships (rather than changes in genes).
Note that causal relationships are probably a more traditional or
conventional object for scientific analysis than genes.
2. When does it change?- In the proposed definition,
evolutionary change occurs continuously in individual cells. Again,
this time-frame for change is more conventional for scientific
analysis than the once per life-time framework implicit by the
genetic model.
3. What are the processes and mechanisms responsible for
change?- The proposal here is that biological evolution(change) is
the product of multi-tiered processes. At the bottom of basic level,
evolutionary change is produced by actions of a type of feedback
loop called a PIT loop. At a higher level, evolutionary change is
the result of changes in PIT loops or the parameters controlling PIT
loops.
4. How are change processes observed and measured.- There are
well established techniques for measuring the operations of feedback
loops.
5. Who is involved in developing and evaluating definitions?-
There is an existing set of professionals who can model and analyze
complex systems involving feedback loops.
6. How are testable, predictive theories formulated.-
Predictive theories are readily formulated for feedback loop based
systems using what I refer to in another thread as biological or bio-
engineering determinism.
Warren
Please Note: If you are reading this in a Blog then replying directly to this message (as opposed to making a 'blog comment') requires membership of the 'Evolution: Where Darwin meets Lamarck?' Egroup at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evomech/
evolution is genetic change or genetic change in populations' is
thus `biological evolution is defined as any change in a biological
operating or assembly instruction'. As should be obvious, this
represent a very dramatic proposed change in the definition and
concept of biological evolution. The rationale for proposing such a
dramatic change is reasonably straight forward- the old model or
concept didn't work and the new one will.
With respect to the six points raised in the initial post:
1. What changes?- The proposed definition suggests that
biological evolution involves changes in information processing or
causal (input-output) relationships (rather than changes in genes).
Note that causal relationships are probably a more traditional or
conventional object for scientific analysis than genes.
2. When does it change?- In the proposed definition,
evolutionary change occurs continuously in individual cells. Again,
this time-frame for change is more conventional for scientific
analysis than the once per life-time framework implicit by the
genetic model.
3. What are the processes and mechanisms responsible for
change?- The proposal here is that biological evolution(change) is
the product of multi-tiered processes. At the bottom of basic level,
evolutionary change is produced by actions of a type of feedback
loop called a PIT loop. At a higher level, evolutionary change is
the result of changes in PIT loops or the parameters controlling PIT
loops.
4. How are change processes observed and measured.- There are
well established techniques for measuring the operations of feedback
loops.
5. Who is involved in developing and evaluating definitions?-
There is an existing set of professionals who can model and analyze
complex systems involving feedback loops.
6. How are testable, predictive theories formulated.-
Predictive theories are readily formulated for feedback loop based
systems using what I refer to in another thread as biological or bio-
engineering determinism.
Warren
Please Note: If you are reading this in a Blog then replying directly to this message (as opposed to making a 'blog comment') requires membership of the 'Evolution: Where Darwin meets Lamarck?' Egroup at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evomech/
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