A Pricean Formalization of Gaia
Pierrick Bourrat
Abstract
Abstract The compatibility of the Gaia hypothesis with Darwinism is often challenged on the grounds that (1) to be potent, natural selection requires the existence of a population (whereas Gaia is a single entity), and (2) natural selection requires the entities forming a population to reproduce (whereas Gaia merely persists). However, using the Price equation, I argue, following others, that the Gaia hypothesis can fit squarely within a Darwinian framework because Gaia can exhibit adaptations if a process at a lower level (e.g., an ecosystem) can occur, and the notion of natural selection can be extended to accommodate evolution without reproduction.
Topics & Concepts
Natural selectionDarwinismSelection (genetic algorithm)PopulationEpistemologyNatural (archaeology)Computer scienceBiologyPhilosophySociologyArtificial intelligenceDemographyPaleontologyEarth Systems and Cosmic EvolutionAdvanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics