TPF : Proposed new law of Evolution

[Gnomon]

Proposed new "law" of Evolution
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... -evolution

Gnomon
Yesterday, I came across an online headline that caught my eye, due to my philosophical interest in the role of Information in the world, and in evolution in particular. One title, on a science news mag, grandly announced "Scientists Unveil Nature’s Missing Evolutionary Law". And I quickly found several other sites with references to a "missing law" to be added to Darwin's 4 or 5 "principles"*1. The major novelty is that this proposed "law" applies to every phase of nature, not just biology. Another difference is its use of "information" in a modern, post-Shannon sense. The articles don't mention it, but I see a relationship to Integrated Information Theory (IIT), which is not yet a law, but a hypothesis. Below, I post a few quotes from three different articles, to invite commentary. In a separate post, I'll add some comments of my own.


*1. What are the 4 laws of evolution?
The four propositions underlying Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection are: (1) more individuals are produced than can survive; (2) there is therefore a struggle for existence; (3) individuals within a species show variation; and (4) offspring tend to inherit their parents' characters.
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-e ... ection-4.1


A. Scientists Unveil Nature’s Missing Evolutionary Law
https://www.sci.news/physics/law-of-inc ... 12369.html

Cornell University’s Professor Jonathan Lunine, Dr.Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution for Science and their colleagues propose that an additional, hitherto-unarticulated law is required to characterize familiar macroscopic phenomena of our complex,evolving Universe. In essence, the new ‘law of increasing functional information’ states that complex natural systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity

# The new work postulates a ‘law of increasing functional information,’ which states that a system will evolve ‘if many different configurations of the system undergo selection for one or more functions.’

# In the case of biology, Charles Darwin equated function primarily with survival — the ability to live long enough to produce fertile offspring.

# The third and most interesting function according to the researchers is ‘novelty’ — the tendency of evolving systems to explore new configurations that sometimes lead to startling new behaviors or characteristics, like photosynthesis

# “If increasing functionality of evolving physical and chemical systems is driven by a natural law, we might expect life to be a common outcome of planetary evolution.”

# “The Universe generates novel combinations of atoms, molecules, cells, etc. Those combinations that are stable and can go on to engender even more novelty will continue to evolve. This is what makes life the most striking example of evolution, but evolution is everywhere.”


B. Missing law of universal evolution
Axios : Scientists propose a "missing law" for evolution in the universe
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/22/evolut ... lexity-law

# The law could help to explain the emergence of complex systems around us

# "In a deep sense, there are two time arrows that we experience in life," says Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution for Science and who is a co-author of a paper published this week in PNAS describing the proposed law. "One is the idea of aging and death and the other is the idea of renewal and organization

# "The second law must be obeyed by all systems, but there's still something missing that needs to be articulated to effectively describe all the richness that we see in our everyday lives and also across the cosmos," says Michael Wong, an astrobiologist and planetary scientist at the Carnegie Institution and co-author of the paper.

# "You have a universe that keeps mixing things up and then trying out new possibilities," Hazen says, adding that it encompasses biological evolution, too. Things that work are selected for, he adds. "That works on nonliving worlds, and it works on living worlds. It's just a natural process that seems to be universal."

# The team's notion of fitness beyond biology is "really subtle, complex and wonderful," Stuart Kauffman adds.

# And, some say evolution is strictly about Darwinian natural selection and common descent, Hazen says. But, "I'm talking about diversification and patterning through time" from one stage to the next,


C. Scientists propose 'missing' law for the evolution of everything in the universe
https://www.space.com/scientists-propos ... e-universe

# This new law identifies "universal concepts of selection" that drive systems to evolve, whether they're living or not.

# The research team behind the law, which included philosophers, astrobiologists, a theoretical physicist, a mineralogist and a data scientist, have called it "the law of increasing functional information."

# The law applies to systems that form from numerous components — such as atoms, molecules and cells —which can be arranged and rearranged repeatedly and adopt multiple different configurations, according to the statement. The law also says these configurations are selected based on function, and only a few survive.

# theoretical biologist Stuart Kauffman, professor emeritus of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania, said the study is a "superb, bold, broad,and transformational article,"


Fundamental Functions of information evolution :

Stability -- integrated components form a persisting system

Action -- systemic energy allows the system to move around, to forage

Novelty -- system can reproduce itself to form new systems.

Note --- Integrated Systems are holistic in their collective function

Missing Law of Evolution video
https://youtu.be/Gz1-ubJShNA?si=3uTorrUrokT0a1SP

[Gnomon]

↪Gnomon
— Wayfare You know, there's an old truism in science, 'a theory that explains everything explains nothing'. It suggests that if a theory is so broad and all-encompassing that it can be used to explain any observation or phenomenon,r

The scientists involved didn't present their findings as a Theory of Everything, but merely one thing (a new law) to explain three things (novelty, stability, reproducibility) that were not covered by Darwin's biological theory, and not possible in view of the conventional Big Bang Theory.

The authors didn't mention Holism, perhaps to avoid criticism as a New Age notion. But the proposed "law" is definitely not Reductive. Because it envisions functions of collective Systems that are not characteristic of their individual components. For example, traditional Atoms evolved by simple addition, but this law allows evolution by multiplication.

I expect that this theory of creative complexification will be quickly accepted as evidence for various religious doctrines. And it will be difficult to translate into empirical evidence. But the proof of the philosophical pudding will be in its explanatory power. Besides, the term Holism was originally presented in a scientific evolutionary context, not as a buzzword for Hinduism or Buddhism or Taoism.

Quote from Cornell-Carnegie description above
the new ‘law of increasing functional information’ states that complex natural systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity

[Gnomon]

↪Gnomon
Yes as I noted in my second response, my first might have been hasty, and I'm now reading the actual paper. — Wayfarer

Thanks. I will appreciate your fair & balanced report on the technical paper. I have only read the news articles that summarized the original study. I got the impression that this was not a report on a specific scientific empirical experiment, but a philosophical analysis of general observational evidence.

Nevertheless, my takeaway is that it supports the philosophical and scientific approach to the physical world that is encapsulated in the concept of Holism (and Systems Theory)*1. Despite its first modern application to causes of Evolution, I don't view Holism as an empirical scientific theory. Instead, it's a rational philosophical hypothesis*2. It attempts to "establish causation" in the Aristotelian sense of Final & Formal causes, not in the physical sense of Material causes : post hoc ergo propter hoc.

This new study probably won't satisfy those who demand empirical proof for any generalized concept. Science deals with Specific Facts, while Philosophy is focused on Universal Principles. Besides its support from the Templeton Foundation*2 will blemish its findings with rumors of religious bias.


*1. Systems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or human-made. ___Wikipedia

*2. Why is holism not scientific? :
However, holistic explanations do not establish causation because they do not examine behaviour in terms of operationalised variables that can be manipulated and measured. This means that holistic explanations are view as unscientific
https://www.tutor2u.net/psychology/refe ... ism-debate
Note --- This is why I would characterize Holism as a philosophical approach to complex questions, not a scientific fact for specific applications. It produces plausible "explanations" not "operationalised" tools for physical manipulation and measurement.

*3. John Templeton Foundation :
the Foundation is, and always has been, run in accordance with the wishes of Sir John Templeton Sr, who laid very strict criteria for its mission and approach", that it is "a non-political entity with no religious bias" and it "is totally independent of any other organisation and therefore neither endorses, nor contributes to political candidates, campaigns, or movements of any kind"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Templeton_Foundation
Note --- JTF does have an explicit bias toward encouraging "human flourishing".

[Gnomon]

In a separate post, I'll add some comments of my own. — Gnomon


Personal comments on topics of the OP :

1. Fitness : Darwin's biological criteria for Fitness was limited to living creatures. But this Information-based “fitness” includes all elements of the physical world. And could be extended to cover the meta-physical (Life & Mind) aspects of the world. For living organisms, fitness is Health (literally Wholeness). A broader definition of Fitness is Wholeness or Integrity or Functional Organization.

2. Selection : To select or choose functional outcomes is contrasted with random or accidental change. A selection is motivated by a future-directed input of Causation.
To select =
a> carefully choose as being the best or most suitable.
b> (of a group of people or things) carefully chosen from a larger number as being the best or most valuable.

3. Function : A process directed toward some defined goal or purpose. A functional relation is a meaningful connection between information inputs and outputs. What is the function of a non-living or non-thinking thing? This could only apply to evolution if the process is directional, not random.
Examples : Mind is the function of Brain. Organization & Complexity are functions of Evolution.

4. Relation : A functional interconnection or bond or alliance with other entities. A complex organism is bonded or merged into an interrelated system by mutual purpose : correlation of direction toward a final state. Single elements are inert, and have no purpose, only action & reaction. Organisms share energy inputs to redirect reactions toward fitness of the system. A whole or integrated or interrelated System has multiple parts that work together toward some goal, beginning with continuation of the system over time.

5. Information : To Inform is to provide an essential or formative principle or quality to something. ___Oxford Languages

Formative Principle :
a> of or relating to formation, development, or growth
b> the active, determining principle or law defining a thing.

Qualia : instances of subjective, conscious experience.

[Gnomon]

But the notion of natural selection suggests some kind of universal teleological agency... — Gnomon
Only if one elects to remain ignorant as to what biologists mean by natural selection. — wonderer1

I'm not a Biologist. And not "ignorant" of the official biological application of "Selection". For philosophical purposes, I'm not bound to that physically focused meaning. See my post above for an alternative philosophical metaphysical definition of cosmic selection, that is not limited to living creatures, as mentioned in the OP articles.

Quote from OP :
# "The team's notion of fitness beyond biology is "really subtle, complex and wonderful," Stuart Kauffman adds".

[Gnomon]

Then to be clear you ought to use distinct terminology. (I suggest "gnatural selection".) You wouldn't want anyone to get the impression that you are talking about the same thing as scientifically informed people are talking about. — wonderer1

I assume it was Gnomon who you were categorizing as "ignorant" of Science. And the imputation of Agency as non-scientific. Please note that Darwin's Artificial Selection required intentional agents (humans) to make the teleological (I want more of this good stuff) choices that resulted in today's artificial soft sweet corn, instead of the natural hard-kernel starchy maize. {see below}

Also note that the authors, of the article this thread is based on, are professional scientists*1 ; so I must assume that they are "scientifically informed people". But they didn't bother to redefine the word "selection"*2 ; they only broadened its application from the Biology-of-living-things to everything else in the natural world, from Cosmology to Mineralogy. Maybe even Psychology was a product of natural selection. Or do you think Mind Functions were a cosmic accident?

However, since you feel the need for a new name for the cosmic process, by which Nature evolves novel Functions from older Forms, how about "Universal Selection", or "General Selection", or "Post-Darwinian Natural Selection"*3, as opposed to the "Special Selection" of Darwin's biological application? Are those Universal Laws too philosophical for you?*4 Are "functions" (how things work) too immaterial for your materialistically "informed" taste?

PS___The article did not imply an unconventional meaning of the verb "to select". They merely noted that the object of selection was not mere matter, but operational Functions of the various forms of matter.

FUNCTION Meaning : "one's proper work or purpose; power of acting in a specific proper way," https://www.etymonline.com/word/function

Artificial selection is an evolutionary process in which humans consciously select for or against particular features in organisms – for example, by choosing which individuals to save seeds from or breed from one generation to the next.
https://evolution.berkeley.edu/lines-of ... selection/

What is agency in biology?
Agency is defined by Webster's dictionary as “the capacity to act or exert power”, and in robotics and AI research a system that can act in any way in response to environmental stimuli is sometimes considered agential. But in biology, typically something more is demanded.
https://www.templeton.org/discoveries/agency-in-biology



Quotes from OP :

*1. # The research team behind the law, which included philosophers, astrobiologists, a theoretical physicist, a mineralogist and a data scientist, have called it "the law of increasing functional information."

*2. # The law also says these configurations are selected based on function, and only a few survive.

*3. # And, some say evolution is strictly about Darwinian natural selection and common descent, Hazen says. But, "I'm talking about diversification and patterning through time" from one stage to the next,

*4. # "You have a universe that keeps mixing things up and then trying out new possibilities," Hazen says, adding that it encompasses biological evolution, too. Things that work are selected for, he adds. "That works on nonliving worlds, and it works on living worlds. It's just a natural process that seems to be universal."

MODERN SWEET CORN artificially evolved to suit human taste
corn-and-teosinte_f.jpg

[Gnomon]

What I fail to understand at bottom is how this new principle or law or whatever it is is something other than the law of entropy. Energy dissipates, disorder/information increases. this allows that life, or a hurricane can produce temporary order that functions to increase total entropy. — unenlightened

The OP articles didn't mention Entropy specifically, but you may have a good point : to include "energy dissipation" as a necessary investment in evolutionary progress. That's how the "new law" works to transform an older adequate configuration into a novel & durable functional form*1. The "temporary disorder" is the price Nature pays for a step-up in functional value. For example, the disorderly Plasma of the Big Bang was essentially formless, and good for nothing but raw material for conversion into stable particles of elementary matter.

Energy per se causes Change (novelty), but Change/Novelty per se is not informative unless it produces a persistent function or meaning. Dissipation is not a good thing unless it leaves behind a stable form of organization, which is the payoff for the expenditure of Energy. As Entropy of a system temporarily increases, local organization may permanently increase, but only if the novel form fills a functional need for the environment of the system. Otherwise, the energy would be wasted.

# “The Universe generates novel combinations of atoms, molecules, cells, etc. Those combinations that are stable and can go on to engender even more novelty will continue to evolve. This is what makes life the most striking example of evolution, but evolution is everywhere.”

*1. Entropy (information theory) :
In information theory, the entropy of a random variable is the average level of "information", "surprise", or "uncertainty" inherent to the variable's possible outcomes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy_( ... on_theory)
Note --- what's "surprising" about the transformation of a prior orderly state to a later organized state is the novelty that we define as meaningful or transformational Information : the difference that makes a familiar thing into an unfamiliar thing, or to force the observer to see an old thing from a new perspective.


Edit: Functional information, which is information we care about (aka a difference that makes a difference{to someone}) is information about order which is to say about disequilibrium and therefore exploitable energy. The details of a state of equilibrium are un exploitable and therefore useless. — unenlightened

Yes! "Functional Information" may make a difference to the material Universe, in terms of advancing the physical evolution of the Cosmic System. But, in order to be meaningful (something we "care about"), the change must have some positive effect on a human mind. We upright apes have learned to "exploit" the available Energy of our local physical system to serve our own physical fortunes (e.g. technology), and in hopes of advancing our metaphysical interests.

For living creatures, "equilibrium" is not a good thing. Like sharks, who are said to "swim or die", we humans must evolve or die-out. As a species, we survive by learning better ways to exploit the resources of the world, and to avoid repeating past mistakes, such as incomplete carbon exploitation that leaves behind toxic substances. Human technology has accelerated the progress & stability of evolution, but also the digress & instability --- hence we progress or die. In terms of "things we care about", it's metaphysical evolution, the subject matter of Philosophy.

Quote from OP :
# the new ‘law of increasing functional information’ states that complex natural systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity

[Gnomon]

Maximal order is minimal total information — unenlightened
How does that follow? Information is ordered, isn't it? — Wayfarer

I suspect that ↪unenlightened's black vs white terminology is giving you problems. Apparently, what he means by "order" is absolute perfect order as contrasted with absolute "disorder". Both of those states provide zero information. For example, on a computer screen, total randomness of pixels (uniform gray) is meaningless. But total order, such as all black or all white, is also meaningless. Hence, useful information requires some degree of distinction (contrast) in order to make a meaningful "difference" to an observer.

Mathematically, Information is defined in terms of Entropy because it's a relative measure in between the ideal extremes of absolute Black or White. In reality, we seldom encounter such unqualified perfection. So, his assertion that "maximal order is minimal total information" sounds counter-intuitive. And the association of Information with Entropy sounds like a negative definition. As von Neumann said : "no one understands entropy". The human mind is not a digital computer (1/0). So, for our meat brains, "meaning" is relative & analog (1/37).

Entropy and disorder also have associations with equilibrium. Technically, entropy, from this perspective, is defined as a thermodynamic property which serves as a measure of how close a system is to equilibrium—that is, to perfect internal disorder. Likewise, the value of the entropy of a distribution of atoms and molecules in a thermodynamic system is a measure of the disorder in the arrangements of its particles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy_( ... _disorder)

[Gnomon]

In the context of information theory, entropy represents the amount of uncertainty or information content in a message, rather than the loss or absence of information per se. . . . .
Did you notice the origin of the link between information and entropy that I provided above? In Shannon’s information theory, the term “entropy” is used in a different sense compared to its use in thermodynamics, though there is a conceptual link between the two. — Wayfarer

I didn't see the post you refer to until after I made my own post regarding your previous exchange with ↪unenlightened*1. I inferred that he was talking about the extreme brackets within which relative-minded humans are able to detect meaningful information. But that uncertain contingency is not how natural laws are typically defined, hence his doubt that the topical hypothesis qualifies as a "law". So, I shared his skepticism, but on different grounds.

Thermodynamics doesn't deal with Uncertainty, but merely the normal range of temperatures between Planck Heat & Absolute Zero. Yet, Information was defined in terms of a relative position between absolute Certainty and absolute Ignorance. Both mathematically idealized thermal states are devoid of "Difference", being All or Nothing. Anything outside that natural range would be super-naturally Certain.

As usual, your post above is an excellent summary of a subtle distinction : the relative "Difference that makes a Difference" in meaning to an analog mind. By contrast, Unenlightened seemed to focus on a mathematical definition of Entropy instead of a mental meaning. So, I commented on his example of "temporary order" that can be found within a general state of Chaos. That's the feature of Natural Evolution which allows bits of random Freedom within Determinism, making room for organized Life in a mostly random universe of dead matter. Life is always "temporary"& impermanent, hence easy to snuff out. However, since that concept is controversial & complex, I didn't go off-topic to pursue it.

I also didn't mention the potential for bias that might influence the Templeton Foundation in its support for this thesis. But over several years, I have not found signs of its support for any particular religious doctrine. If anything, the foundation seems to lean toward philosophical interpretations of scientific evidence. Hence it tends to contribute to scientific research on the margins of doctrinal Materialism ; not necessarily religious dogma. For example the Santa Fe Institute for the study of Complexity is necessarily Holistic instead of Reductive. On the other hand, for some on this forum, any deviation from Classical Determinism is suspect.


*1. What I fail to understand at bottom is how this new principle or law or whatever it is is something other than the law of entropy. Energy dissipates, disorder/information increases. this allows that life, or a hurricane can produce temporary order that functions to increase total entropy. — unenlightened

[Gnomon]

I've been aware of Templeton for years, I've often read works by and about Templeton Prize winners, including Paul Davies, Bernard D'Espagnat and others. I think they do attempt to be objective but their attempt to connect science and spirituality makes a lot of people suspicious. (That saying 'the hermeneutics of suspicion' seems apt. There was a link provided above purporting to show their financial support of climate-change denial organisations, but the evidence doesn't seem clear-cut to me.) — Wayfarer

The mission statement below*1 does include "Theology" & "Philosophy", under the heading of Sciences and Scholarship. Also, "creativity, forgiveness, and free will" would disqualify their subjects from consideration, or to warrant "suspicion", by the Pro-Science / Anti-Religion posters on this forum.

But IMHO, that immaterial subject matter shouldn't be disallowed on The Philosophy Forum. Their official mission is to promote "human flourishing", not promotion of any specific religious doctrine, as the Antis suspect. A more equal-opportunity posture toward Climate Change might include both Pro and Con research*2.

*1. What are the priorities of the Templeton Foundation?
We fund work on subjects ranging from black holes and evolution to creativity, forgiveness, and free will. We also encourage civil, informed dialogue among scientists, philosophers, theologians, and the public at large. Our grantees produce field-leading scholarship across the sciences, theology, and philosophy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy_and_life

*2. Templeton International Climate Change Fund :
An active approach to climate change investing. We favor companies providing low carbon solutions, companies transitioning to a low carbon economy and companies ...
https://www.franklintempleton.com › products › TICGX


What I fail to understand at bottom is how this new principle or law or whatever it is is something other than the law of entropy. Energy dissipates, disorder/information increases. —— unenlightened
Note --- The quote is from ↪unenlightened, not Gnomon. My response was to suggest an alternative role for Entropy in "information increase" : to include "energy dissipation" as a necessary investment in evolutionary progress. Hence, Information Increase follows from Energy expenditure, which increases Entropy.

From what's been said above, that doesn't necessarily follow at all. There's a very interesting Wikipedia article on Entropy and Life*3, which talks about this. I think the key idea is that organisms are able to utilise and channel available energy to create greater degrees of order in the form of (drum roll) information, namely, DNA. But I don't think that 'energy dissipates therefore information increases' follows from that. In the non-living universe - from what we know the vast majority of the cosmos - there's no such 'increase in information' at all. Only occurs when organisms enter the picture, and why that should be still remains an open question, doesn't it? ('Warm little pond', anyone?) — Wayfarer

Yes. My post disagreed that information increase results from Entropy. Instead, "emergence of complex systems" such as Life, results from negative entropy, or EnFormAction*3, or Enformy*4 as postulated in my thesis --- perhaps to close Schrodinger's "open question". Even so, the role of Entropy (Energy dissipation) must be acknowledged as a hurdle for complex systems to overcome, in order for Information to increase.

Why Life & Mind could emerge within a cosmic system that was lifeless and mindless for 14 billion earth years remains an "open question" for reductive & materialistic Science. But, in a Holistic & Information-based world, the eventual emergence of Life & Mind, could be explained in terms of Enformationism*5.

*3. Entropy and Life :
The 1944 book What is Life? by Nobel-laureate physicist Erwin Schrödinger stimulated further research in the field. In his book, Schrödinger originally stated that life feeds on negative entropy, or negentropy as it is sometimes called, but in a later edition corrected himself in response to complaints and stated that the true source is free energy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy_and_life

What is Erwin Schrödinger's definition of life?
Erwin Schrödinger defined life not only as a "self-reproducing" aperiodic crystal of DNA coding for proteins but within the context of living entities increasing their order by dissipating matter/energy gradients to maintain themselves away from equilibirium.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20169412/

*4. Enformy :
A quality of the universe modeled as a thermodynamic system. Energy always flows from Hot (high energy density) to Cold (low density) -- except when it doesn't. On rare occasions, energy lingers in a moderate state that we know as Matter, and sometimes even reveals new qualities and states of material stuff, such as Life. Enformy counteracts Entropy & Randomness to produce complexity & progress.
The Second Law of Thermo-dynamics states that, in a closed system, Entropy always increases until it reaches equilibrium at a temperature of absolute zero. But some glitch in that system allows stable forms to emerge, that can recycle energy in the form of qualities we call Life & Mind. That "glitch" is what I call Enformy.
https://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page8.html

*5. Enformationism :
As a scientific paradigm, the thesis of Enformationism is intended to be an update to the obsolete 19th century paradigm of Materialism. Since the recent advent of Quantum Physics, the materiality of reality has been watered down. Now we know that matter is a form of energy, and that energy is a form of Information : EnFormAction --- A proposed metaphysical law of the universe that causes random interactions between forces and particles to produce novel & stable arrangements of matter & energy. .
As a religious philosophy, the creative power of Enformationism is envisioned as a more realistic version of the antiquated religious notions of Spiritualism. Since our world had a beginning, it's hard to deny the concept of creation.
https://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page8.html