Friday, May 01, 2009

Adaptive Landscapes


Kevin Kelly does a short essay on adaptive peaks vs. wells (or basins). Inverting the landscape leads to a different way of thinking about the energy required to adapt, and therefore to the strategies needed to get to a local (or general) optimum. Is the optimum attractive (like a basin) or do we have to fight gravity to get there (a mountain)? Does the going get easier as we get near, or harder? Do we know when we're moving in the right direction, or when to change strategies?

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