The more I think and learn about evolution as something abstract (IE something that can exist in principle only, happens to be embodied in biology and could be embodied elsewhere), the more I think that evolution is creation. At the very least it is so similar to "creativity" that any discussion on the topic would probably quickly degrade to boring semantic argument.
From this I think there are two potentially interesting products:
- Evolution by natural selection may be usable as an engine of machine consciousness. Some variant of evolution may be at the core of our own consciousness.
- Evolution by natural selection is a mechanical process that we can "take apart" and understand relatively easily. It also happens to be the engine of the process that created species. Happens to be. Even if the evolution of species had never happened, evolution would still exist in abstract. This put it in very good position to be discovered. Perhaps there are equally powerful concepts waiting to be discovered. Perhaps one of them is at the core of our own creativity. Perhaps one of them can be at the core of machine consciousness.
Eliezer made what I think was a similar point in posts at Overcoming Bias and Less Wrong; he also pointed out that evolution is really stupid. If we can understand the result of an evolved process, we should, using intelligence, be able to do much better. The key is understanding.
From this I think there are two potentially interesting products:
- Evolution by natural selection may be usable as an engine of machine consciousness. Some variant of evolution may be at the core of our own consciousness.
- Evolution by natural selection is a mechanical process that we can "take apart" and understand relatively easily. It also happens to be the engine of the process that created species. Happens to be. Even if the evolution of species had never happened, evolution would still exist in abstract. This put it in very good position to be discovered. Perhaps there are equally powerful concepts waiting to be discovered. Perhaps one of them is at the core of our own creativity. Perhaps one of them can be at the core of machine consciousness.