Evolution, generative entrenchment and the bounds of rationality Konrad Talmont-Kaminski Marie Curie-Sklodowska University

Two issues  Bounded rationality theory claims all reasoning heuristic in nature  Why should this be the case?  Hume’s problem of induction defines the field of possible epistemic processes, both for reasoning & evolution  What about development of new heuristics?  Hume’s problem of induction forces development of new heuristics to proceed by broadly evolutionary means

Bounded rationality

Heuristics all the way up  Herbert Simon The Sciences of the Artificial 3 rd ed  Perfect rationality a bad model  Satisficing not optimising  Heuristics  Rules-of-thumb  Heuristics all the way up  Adaptations to scientific theories  Simple heuristics used outside bounded rationality  Kahneman & Tversky  Dual process accounts of reason

Fast, frugal, etc.  Bill Wimsatt Re-engineering Philosophy of Limited Beings 2007  Broad characterisation of heuristics  Fallible  Frugal (and fast, too)  Systematically biased  Problem transforming  Have specific uses  Developed from other heuristics (Exapted)  Is it heuristics all the way up?

Hume & heuristics

Exaptation & heuristics  Jerry-built products of evolution  Evolutionary history  Building a Ferrari from a Morris MM  Developmental pathways  Exaptation  Using existing traits for new functions  Feathers in dinosaurs and birds  Human reason  Typical product of evolution  Kahneman & Tversky studies  Collection of heuristics  Is human reason bounded because of evolution?

Dual process accounts  Jonathan Evans & others  Heuristics  System 1  Evolutionarily old  Logical Thinking  System 2  Evolutionarily new  Problem  People do use logic  Human reasoning is bounded  How does system 2 work?

Humean ‘dualism’?  Hume’s 2 ‘systems’  Habits – heuristics  Reasons – System 2  Hume – the original dual process theorist?  No  Problem of induction  250 years of looking for solution  Problem affects deductive reasoning, also  System 2, either  Runs into problem of induction  Heuristics that use logical features of environment

A naturalist Hume  A different view of the problem of induction  Not a problem  A basic epistemic limit  Hume’s fact of reasoning  Heuristics are the response  Heuristics wherever Hume’s ‘Problem’  Relevance to evolution?

Heuristics all the way down  Evolution is back-ward looking  Adaptations suit previous environments  Not necessarily future ones  Environmental changes may lead to extinction  Arms races (cheetahs & gazelles)  Evolution short-sighted due to problem of induction  Adaptations are also heuristics  Hume’s problem is the fundamental epistemic limit  Determines what evolutionary processes possible  Determines what cognitive processes possible

Open-endedness and generative entrenchment

Evolution & engineering  Contrast between  Evolutionary processes  Small changes  Every step must be satisficing  Engineering projects  Novel solutions  Only end product satisfices  Evolutionary landscape  Wheel  Evolutionary products more limited?  In one sense, yes  Most limits due to  Evolutionary histories  Developmental paths

Open-ended bounded rationality  Human reason bounded but open-ended  Develops and obtains new abilities  Consists of a set of heuristics but  Develops new heuristics  Exapts existing heuristics to novel functions  Open-endedness makes it possible to transcend particular limitations  While still remaining bounded  Open-endedness key trait of evolution & cognition  Engineered systems either  Closed ‘end-products’ and of little interest  Open-ended

Step-wise development & GE  Hume’s problem forces  Open-ended systems to develop in step-wise manner  Generative entrenchment (GE)  Existing heuristics make new heuristics possible  Wheel required for automobile  The more connections the more entrenched  New transport systems & existing infrastructure  Human pyramid  GE results from open-ended development  History/development paths significant for all open-ended systems  Development of open-ended engineered systems will have basic traits of evolutionary change

Evolution & artificiality  Artificial systems  Etymological root - artifice  Adapted to their environment  By evolution  By engineers  Some traits explained in terms of environment  Atrophy of eyes in cave animals  Structure of the tire

Conclusions  Hume’s ‘problem’ of ‘induction’  The basic epistemic limit  Applies to all artificial systems  Forces the use of heuristics  Limits how open-ended artificial systems can develop  Forces the use of evolutionary processes

One more pyramid