From: Iain Strachan (iain.strachan@eudoramail.com)
Date: Sun Aug 20 2000 - 22:33:27 EDT
On Tue, 20 Aug 2002 12:10:04 Terry M. Gray wrote:
>Ian wrote:
>
>>
>>When an evolutionary algorithm evolves the bicycle/robot from nothing
>>and the means to ride it/fly it, then might be the time to be
>>impressed.
>
>
>Of course, even in Darwin's theory, things evolve from pre-existing
>things. Nothing evolves from nothing. Your requirements seem a bit
>extreme here.
>
OK, maybe it's a bit extreme to say "from nothing". However, I don't
think it's unreasonable to expect that something that is in principle
capable of flying should evolve from something that does not have
that capability. And alongside the evolution of the wing, must also
evolve the ability to learn how to fly. (Note the this is more
subtle and hard to define than the mere discovery of a correct
sequence of motor actuation instructions - in one case there is a
target sequence - or set of possible target sequences -, and in the
other you have a self-tuning control system).
Iain.
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