Will the process of natural selection always be there?

 

Natural selection will not remove ignorance from future generations — Richard Dawkins

Arun Kumar

Arun Kumar + AI

Will humans, as a species, ever be exempt from the process of natural selection? Or will natural selection persist indefinitely, with only the resources involved in the process changing over time? I will lean in favor of the latter scenario.

Natural selection is an unyielding, harsh, and merciless process. If you are not well-adapted to your environment, or if another individual is better suited than you, your distant descendants will not exist to pay respects at your grave.

The fundamental concept of natural selection is simple — it’s a process where organisms with traits that assist in acquiring resources (such as food, light, water, shelter, etc.) have an increased likelihood of survival and reproduction. As a result, these organisms often produce more offspring than their peers. Over time, this results in an increase in the prevalence of these advantageous traits within the population. These traits can be physical or psychological.

Natural selection is a competition for limited resources, with the victors being those who possess traits that give them an edge in securing a larger share of these resources. It’s not a mutually beneficial scenario. Instead, it’s a game where the winners, often at the detriment of their competitors, reap all the rewards.

The impact of physical traits on survival and reproduction is straightforward to understand. If an individual within a species is stronger, faster, has a longer neck, or can breathe both on land and in water, they are likely to secure a larger portion of resources. This enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Over time, as these individuals produce more offspring, the advantageous trait become more prevalent within the population. This could potentially lead to the emergence of a new species.

Much like physical traits, psychological traits can also enhance an individual’s chances of survival and reproduction. These traits can include behaviors, attitudes, and cognitive abilities that may provide an advantage in securing resources or attracting mates. Over time, the advantageous psychological traits can become more prevalent within a population, much like physical traits. This is a fascinating aspect of natural selection.

Kinship and the psychological tendency to prioritize the interests of one’s nearest relatives serve as good examples. At the genetic level, the closer our relationship with another individual, greater is the shared gene pool. The primary goal of reproduction is the propagation of genes. Therefore, a psychological trait that favors kinship is likely to be more successful in propagating a gene pool, and over time, it has become a prevalent psychological trait.

Natural selection has been a driving force since the advent of self-replicating molecules and biological entities vying for limited resources in their environment. However, over the past 10,000 years, humans have, in many respects, managed to circumvent certain aspects of natural selection through the aid of technological advancements. This is particularly true for physical traits, where technology has essentially leveled the playing field. For instance, physical traits that were once advantageous, such as the ability to run faster, can now be compensated for by vehicles. If we continue on this trajectory, it raises the question: could we someday transcend the process of natural selection?

However, it’s also plausible that the process of natural selection will persist indefinitely. With survival and reproduction as the ultimate goals, we may never truly escape its influence. But why is this the case? The reason is…

…due to the ongoing struggle against the forces of entropy, we will always require some form of energy (i.e., resources) to maintain our biological structures. The fundamental fact is that living organisms require energy. As a result, the competition for finite resources among biological entities will persist indefinitely. This competition ensures the continued relevance of natural selection. There will always be certain traits — be they physical, psychological, or otherwise — that will provide an individual with a competitive edge, and will eventually become dominant within the population. What may evolve over time, however, is the nature of the resources that are being competed for.

The nature of competition has already shifted away from securing basic resources like food. Currently, the resources we compete for are predominantly monetary, which are subsequently used to procure necessities essential for survival. Any remaining money, after satisfying our basic needs, is frequently used to achieve status. This pursuit for status may subconsciously be to serve to attract mates for reproduction.

Given the finite nature of resources, competition for them is inevitable. The type of resources being competed for may evolve over time. Consequently, in some form or another, the process of natural selection will continue.

Civilizations possessing advantageous physical, psychological, and now, technological traits, will persist in their efforts to emerge victorious. In the future, the process of natural selection may function within the context of competition among civilizations, or galactic alliances, striving to perpetuate and expand their horizons, and to venture into unexplored territories.

The resource could potentially evolve once more, perhaps taking the form of the spice Melange found on the planet Arrakis.

Ciao.

The inevitability of the process of natural selection - Take II

 Ideas percolate. Through natural selection, the best ones survive — Andew Lo

Arun Kumar

Arun Kumar + AI

The primary objectives for a biological entity are survival and reproduction. Without these characteristics, the particular form would cease to exist, and we would not be talking about it. Survival and reproduction stand as the fundamental goals for all biological forms. Absent these traits, the form would not persist, rendering our conversation about it moot.

Rene Descartes posited the philosophical assertion, “I think, therefore I am” underscoring the presence of the self as a cognitive being. This proclamation pertains to an individual’s consciousness and self-awareness.

In a similar vein, one might metaphorically assert, “I possess the instinct to survive and reproduce, hence I am a biological form.” This implies that the existence of these instincts affirms the being’s identity as a form of biological life, given that these instincts are essential to life itself.

Where might the origins of these two traits — survival and reproduction — for biological entities lie? We could go back to the beginning of biology, to the self-replicating molecules, and ponder whether the concepts of survival and reproduction were inherent to them also.

By definition, a self-replicating molecule inherently possesses one of the two fundamental traits — reproduction. However, survival is not merely about the capacity to reproduce, but also encompasses the ability to endure and exhibit resilience within a specific environment.

Should a self-replicating molecule lack the ability to preserve its structure amidst environmental adversities (akin to an ‘instinct for survival’), it would either deteriorate or be superseded by other molecules exhibiting greater stability or replication efficiency. Thus, in the absence of this survival instinct, the molecule’s existence would indeed be short-lived.

Consequently, the self-replicating molecules, endowed with the inherent traits of survival and reproduction, underwent continuous evolution, and led the foundation for all life forms.

If, during this process, a presumptuous life form emerged, declaring its lack of need for either survival or reproduction instincts, it was told by others ‘c’est la vie’ and ‘see you later, alligator,’ as they continued on their survival and reproductive journey that led to us.

The instinct for survival and reproduction in an environment with limited energy also gave rise to another fundamental principle that drives biological entities. This principle is none other than natural selection and evolution. The logic for this necessity goes as follows.

To compete effectively in a resource-constrained environment, a biological entity must possess a characteristic that enables it to secure available resources more efficiently than others. This allows it to be fit for survival and reproduction, and to produce more offspring. Over generations, this advantageous trait becomes increasingly prevalent in the future population, leading to the emergence of a new species and the progression of evolution.

Consequently, the instinctive ability of biological entities to survive and reproduce, coupled with the necessity to compete in an energy-limited environment, culminates in the process of natural selection and evolution. This is an inevitable result of the interplay between these two factors.

The process of natural selection is a Darwinian Inevitability of competition between self-replicating forms for resources when living in an energy limited environment.

Ciao.

The inevitability of the process of natural selection

 

I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection — Charles Darwin

Arun Kumar

Arun Kumar +AI

A fundamental characteristic of biological organisms is their inherent drive to survive and reproduce. If either of these traits were absent, that particular lineage of the organism would cease to exist.

For survival, biological organisms require a source of energy. This energy is a vital resource for them. It is their Kryptonite.

In the context of plants, they harness sunlight and convert it into consumable nutrients through the process of photosynthesis. Animals, on the other hand, are part of a food chain that ultimately relies on the sustenance provided by plants. Therefore, the ultimate source of energy is sunlight, powered by the thermonuclear reactions occurring in its core.

The amount of available energy, however, is limited. There is a fixed amount of sunlight that falls on per square kilometer of Earth’s surface. The amount depends on the location and the season. Tropical latitudes have more sunlight available for consumption compared to higher latitudes. It is no wonder that the complexity of life forms is far richer in the tropics.

The limited availability of energy, coupled with the energy requirements of biological organisms for survival and reproduction, triggers a competition for energy resources. There is no central authority managing the distribution of energy to ensure equitable allocation. Each organism is on its own, employing whatever means necessary to secure as much energy as possible.

Distinct traits among organisms can aid in securing more energy. For plants, characteristics such as greater height or a larger leaf area can help capture more sunlight. Access to a larger portion of the available energy pool, akin to having a larger slice of the pie, improves the chances of survival and reproduction. Over several generations, these advantageous traits that contribute to energy acquisition begin to dominate the population, leading to the evolution of the organism into a new species.

This straightforward narrative, along with its intuitive reasoning, encapsulates the fundamental principle of natural selection. It is a process where organisms possessing traits that enhance survival and reproduction tend to produce more offspring compared to their counterparts. This leads to a gradual increase in the prevalence of these beneficial traits over successive generations.

Given two fundamental facts: (a) biological organisms need energy to survive and reproduce, and (b) the amount of available energy is finite, a competition to secure energy is inevitably established. This straightforward narrative, along with its intuitive logic, succinctly encapsulates the core principle, and inevitability, of natural selection.

The beauty and elegance of this concept lie in the fact that two fundamental truths, which could be considered as postulates, naturally lead to the formulation of natural selection as the only viable path forward. Even if alternative processes could be theoretically construed, they may not be sustainable solutions on their own and would lead to logical dead ends.

Ciao.

The Perhaps of Life

 

…only the philosophical question is perennial, not the answers — Paul Tillich

Arun Kumar

Arun Kumar + AI

There is a part of living that sometimes does not want to run as a well-oiled machine. With the turning of the wheels, if I pay attention, I can hear a faint squeaking.

Sometimes, when I stop along the path I am walking and listen carefully, I can feel an undercurrent that is constantly trying to erode my peace of mind. It is like wanting to sleep and letting go for a while, but there is an annoying mosquito that keeps buzzing around and will not allow sleep to descend.

Finding peace and the feeling of being together (and living with a sense of ease), alongside the uncertainty of whether or not I will be alive tomorrow, are two clashing thoughts. Their battles often leave me feeling exhausted. The thought that everything I do might one day be for nothing, yet there is still the need to keep on going and doing things the best I can, saps the will and energy.

The futility of moving forward but with the knowledge that each step is towards a precipice, and further, at any step, bottom could fall out, makes one want to let limbs go lethargic. In those moments, a sense of fatigue descends upon the spirit, making it hard to keep on moving.

Something inside wants to whisper, “Please leave me here and please keep going. For now, I am too tired to take another step.”

So, what to do? Is there a way out of the existential dilemma of needing to live and yet being aware of mortality? Is there a way to blunt the sharpness of the realization that mortality could just flatten a three-dimensional life into a meaningless nothing?

Once in a while, what antidote can one take to ward off these feelings and emotions that the internalization of mortality is susceptible to bringing? A glass of wine? A belief in something divine?

Perhaps, for some of us, there are no permanent resolutions, and the best we can do is learn to manage the conflict. We can hope to find ways to maintain a truce between living and dying, while acknowledging that occasionally, a full-blown conflict between the two may erupt.

Perhaps, we must always live with the realization that occasionally, the rug may be pulled out from under our feet, and we may fall. It could also be that the tension between living and dying is what defines life, making it interesting and vibrant.

The tension makes living alive.

Once the fall happens, I would question the logic and the meaning of existence once again. After lying flat on my face for a while, I will get up (as I have always done) and either build a new edifice or repair the one I already have (and possibly, make some tweaks to add resiliency).

Perhaps part of managing is accepting that for some of us, this is as good as it gets, and having this option in hand is a lot better than not having any alternatives and merely feeling lost.

Another possibility towards gaining a sense of lasting peace is to experience a sense of universal connectedness, which brings about the feeling of existing beyond one’s present form. This connectedness removes mortality from the equation. Left alone, life has no adversary to contend with. There have been moments of such connectedness, however, they are fleeting.

Perhaps one day, the essence of such ephemeral moments will be captured and preserved in a glass vial, to be worn around the neck and become my companion for life.

Perhaps, one day, I will wear a smile that mirrors the serene joy seen on the lips of enlightened beings.

Ciao.