Re: virus: Dawkins is an idiot

David McFadzean (david@lucifer.com)
Wed, 13 Nov 1996 18:48:18 -0700


At 09:57 PM 27/08/70 +0000, David Leeper wrote:
>But exaptation has been found to exist, and have advantages
>over other types of evolution. [See "Artificial Life",
>Vol 2, No 2, "Preadaptaions in populations of Neural Networks"]

OK, I read it and found that in a rather simplistic alife simulation
a structure evolved in a 16-neuron net can be co-opted for a very
similar purpose (finding a new variant of abstract food after the
one it has adapted to has disappeared). I would still call it an
adaptation. We use our brains to send e-mail even though it
obviously wasn't an evolutionary adaptation for that purpose. Would
you call the human brain an exaptation?

--
David McFadzean                 david@lucifer.com
Memetic Engineer                http://www.lucifer.com/~david/
Church of Virus                 http://www.lucifer.com/virus/