I don’t think it make sense to call the mere possibility of something “optimization power”. In what sense is a possibility a “success” in the absence of a criterion for judging it so? Nor do I think it makes sense to assert that selection, a sequential process whose action increases (on average) a particular function, is not “do[ing] the optimizing”. This is semantics, but fairly important semantics, I think.
You can’t force cats to invent general relativity.
Given enough resources, time, and cats, I’m pretty sure I could.
ETA: That was not merely a joke, but it was too glib; I should make the point explicit. It’s that with enough time to get enough variation and appropriate selection, many things are possible. A concept of optimization power which is only about possibility but takes no note of the mechanics of descent with modification is not useful. ETA2: Outside of selection processes, I think a concept of optimization power needs to take note of the rate of change in order to be useful.
I don’t think it make sense to call the mere possibility of something “optimization power”. In what sense is a possibility a “success” in the absence of a criterion for judging it so? Nor do I think it makes sense to assert that selection, a sequential process whose action increases (on average) a particular function, is not “do[ing] the optimizing”. This is semantics, but fairly important semantics, I think.
You can’t force cats to invent general relativity. Without human mind, it’s impossible, while with human mind it’s merely rare.
Given enough resources, time, and cats, I’m pretty sure I could.
ETA: That was not merely a joke, but it was too glib; I should make the point explicit. It’s that with enough time to get enough variation and appropriate selection, many things are possible. A concept of optimization power which is only about possibility but takes no note of the mechanics of descent with modification is not useful. ETA2: Outside of selection processes, I think a concept of optimization power needs to take note of the rate of change in order to be useful.