Conditions on the development of self-reference in evolutionary systems

Darwinian-Mendelian evolution adapts populations of structures within structural fields. A field cannot become fully reflective (self-referential) unless its metafield has made it so, and thus, evolution cannot transform a non-reflective field into a reflective one.

However, since a field can create fields under it to which it is the relative ground field, evolution can transform a non-reflective field not containing reflective fields into a non-reflective field containing reflective fields.

I consider that this may be a significant result in research on ``artificial life'': that although evolution may produce systems that can produce reflective systems, it cannot produce reflective systems -- reflectivity at the level of the level of the evolved systems must be provided already in the field in which those systems exist.

There are similar interesting results in other fields currently widely regarded as less amenable to rigourous study. I have started to address them in an article I wrote for merton-l.

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For other essays, see the index to this collection; and for some other thoughts, my thoughts index.

Last modified: Sun Jun 10 22:28:51 GMT Daylight Time 2007