I agree, Glen. It relates to another problem that interests me. Natural selection cannot work unless there is additive genetic variance, i.e., a gene has to have an effect on a selectable trait, free and clear of the effects of other traits. But given all the vast entanglements of the genetic and developmental system, how is it that any gene, let along most genes, have much additive genetic variance at all. That selection can operate at all would seem to suggest that something is policing the genetic system to guarantee a modicum of additive genetic variance. What could possibly be that policing agency and how, and at what level, is it selected for?
Nick Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology Clark University http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ -----Original Message----- From: Friam [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of glen Sent: Friday, January 19, 2018 2:04 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] "self-organization" This post successfully describes my thoughts ... and in a criticism of my favorite "economist" von Hayek to boot! http://evonomics.com/cognitive-economics-intelligence-mulgan/ > It’s an appealing view. But self-organization is not an altogether-coherent > concept and has often turned out to be misleading as a guide to collective > intelligence. It obscures the work involved in organization and in particular > the hard work involved in high-dimensional choices. If you look in detail at > any real example—from the family camping trip to the operation of the > Internet, open-source software to everyday markets, these are only > self-organizing if you look from far away. Look more closely and different > patterns emerge. You quickly find some key shapers—like the designers of > underlying protocols, or the people setting the rules for trading. There are > certainly some patterns of emergence. Many ideas may be tried and tested > before only a few successful ones survive and spread. To put it in the terms > of network science, the most useful links survive and are reinforced; the > less useful ones wither. The community decides collectively which ones are > useful. Yet on closer inspection, there turn out to be concentrations of > power and influence even in the most decentralized communities, and when > there’s a crisis, networks tend to create temporary hierarchies—or at least > the successful ones do—to speed up decision making. As I will show, almost > all lasting examples of social coordination combine some elements of > hierarchy, solidarity, and individual. On January 13, 2018 8:46:24 AM PST, Nick Thompson <nickthomp...@earthlink.net> wrote: > I am hoping that the responses of >others will display exactly the diversity you describe. -- glen ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
