To: betty boop
BTW Wolfram, as you probably know, thinks that the role of natural selection is overstated in accounting for all the complexity we see in biological forms. He suspects that something else is going on besides. What that is, I don't know. May I recommend The Wisdom of the Genes by Christopher Wills? His argument is that evolution is proceeding at a faster rate than ever before, because the ability to evolve has itself evolved over time. In the book, he details the existence of "genetic toolkits" that are capable of producing complex, coordinated modifications of entire sets of genes in one throw. (One specific instance he explores is a toolkit that manages the complicated set of genes that determine the pattern of a butterfly's wings.)
To: Physicist
Although, some people will argue that natural selection is simply working on a hierarchical level above that of the genes, like engrailed and spalt, that produce butterfly wing patterns, namely, at the level of the regulators for those genes.
To: Physicist
His argument is that evolution is proceeding at a faster rate than ever before, because the ability to evolve has itself evolved over time. If you assume that the mind itself evolved, that's some Swiss Army knife.
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