[grey_whiskers]

Moreover, in a leap of highly original logic, Smolin went on to persuasively argue that each new universe might be slightly better adapted than its ancestor. Adapted for what? Why, to create more black holes — the eggs — needed for reproducing more universes.

Where's the heritability? The random changes? And the selection pressure?

Cheers!

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Just speculating out-loud. It makes a certain gut sense that if a universe spawned a universe then the child universe would be something like the parent.

So, if a universe that was more inclined to create black holes might be more inclined to create black holes that create universes with more black holes. And if the ability to create black holes was associated with the ability to create the self-organizing patterns necessary for life, there might be a certain quasi-evolutionary tendency towards universes with the right parameters for 1. Life and 2. Creating more universes with the right parameters for life.

This is all off the top of my head and, likely, out of my hat, as well.