In adaptive systems, the system, in its swarming and jostling, is constantly trying lots of little variations from the baseline.
- In adaptive systems, the system, in its swarming and jostling, is constantly trying lots of little variations from the baseline.
- Most of them don't work and fade away, evaporating quickly.
- The thing that tried them dies, or the thing that tried them sees it didn't succeed and doesn't try again.
- Either way the thing evaporates.
- But every so often one that is better is found; it has a consistent ground truthed bias that makes it stand strong amidst the noise.
- This is conserved, naturally.
- The thing that tried it keeps trying it while it works.
- Other entities notice and also try the same thing.
- If it's a genetic mutation, that genetic mutation gives a consistent bias to success, so it becomes more and more represented in future generations.
- So the system is jiggling constantly trying everything, it's just the only ones that cohere and stay around to be built on are the ones that are effective, so they're all that we see as macro-scale changes.
- This is similar to how the principle of least action arises in physical systems, as I recently learned from this mind-bending Veritasium video.
- Light waves are constantly emanating in every direction; it's only the ones that are near the minimum that happen to interfere constructively (as opposed to destructively) and thus be visible to us.