A quantum model of exaptation: Incorporating potentiality into evolutionary theory |
| |
Authors: | Liane Gabora Eric O. Scott Stuart Kauffman |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, Canada;2. Department of Computer Science, George Mason University, 400 University Drive MSN 4A5, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA;3. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Vermont, 16 Colchester Ave., Burlington, VT 05401, USA |
| |
Abstract: | The phenomenon of preadaptation, or exaptation (wherein a trait that originally evolved to solve one problem is co-opted to solve a new problem) presents a formidable challenge to efforts to describe biological phenomena using a classical (Kolmogorovian) mathematical framework. We develop a quantum framework for exaptation with examples from both biological and cultural evolution. The state of a trait is written as a linear superposition of a set of basis states, or possible forms the trait could evolve into, in a complex Hilbert space. These basis states are represented by mutually orthogonal unit vectors, each weighted by an amplitude term. The choice of possible forms (basis states) depends on the adaptive function of interest (e.g., ability to metabolize lactose or thermoregulate), which plays the role of the observable. Observables are represented by self-adjoint operators on the Hilbert space. The possible forms (basis states) corresponding to this adaptive function (observable) are called eigenstates. The framework incorporates key features of exaptation: potentiality, contextuality, nonseparability, and emergence of new features. However, since it requires that one enumerate all possible contexts, its predictive value is limited, consistent with the assertion that there exists no biological equivalent to “laws of motion” by which we can predict the evolution of the biosphere. |
| |
Keywords: | Context Co-option Exaptation Potentiality Preadaptation Quantum formalism |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|