BALDWIN Effect
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 236 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
D. DEPEW writes: “The general idea of the Baldwin effect is that learned behaviors can affect both the direction and the speed of evolutionary change . If an organism changes during its lifetime to acquire habits or exhibit behaviors which permit more effective interaction with its environment. .it will probably leave more offspring” (2000, p. 7)
In this way a connection is established between ethology (and even ecology) and evolution . The idea reminds also somehow of LAMARCK's view about “heredity of acquired characteristics”. In relation to DARWIN's view of evolution, it adds sense to the concept of selection .
Baldwin's idea, according to DEPEW is in need of “the articulation of new theoretical frameworks in which it may make sense”(Ibid)
More generally, it is obviously related to the ways adaptive or evolutive change in elements or individuals affects the group of the social system . In modeling terms, it would be the re-construction of the “metasystem ” from bottom up , or the subtle contradictions and complementarities between autopoiesis (Maturana), homeostasis (Cannon), emergence (Prigogine), autogenesis (Csanyi) and variety (Ashby).
No doubt: the debate is far from concluded. But the collection of papers published by “Cybernetics and Human Knowing” is a quite significant step. (7(1), 2000)
See also
Renormalization group, Somatic ecology