Actually, I agreed too quickly. Words are not used in a vacuum. Even though this method isn’t related to evolution, and even though a naive person might call it “selection” (and have that be descriptively reasonable), that doesn’t mean it’s best described as “selection.” The reason is that the “s-word” has lots of existing evolutionary connotations. And on my understanding, that’s the main reason you want to call it “selection” to begin with—in order to make analogical claims about the results of this process compared to the results of evolution.
But my whole point is that the analogy is only valid if the two optimization processes (evolution and best-of-k sampling) share the relevant causal mechanisms. So before you start using the s-word and especially before you start using its status as “selection” to support analogies, I want to see that argument first. Else, it should be called something more neutral.
Actually, I agreed too quickly. Words are not used in a vacuum. Even though this method isn’t related to evolution, and even though a naive person might call it “selection” (and have that be descriptively reasonable), that doesn’t mean it’s best described as “selection.” The reason is that the “s-word” has lots of existing evolutionary connotations. And on my understanding, that’s the main reason you want to call it “selection” to begin with—in order to make analogical claims about the results of this process compared to the results of evolution.
But my whole point is that the analogy is only valid if the two optimization processes (evolution and best-of-k sampling) share the relevant causal mechanisms. So before you start using the s-word and especially before you start using its status as “selection” to support analogies, I want to see that argument first. Else, it should be called something more neutral.