Designing for Emergent Learning

Re: Designing for Emergent Learning

by Scott Johnson -
Number of replies: 1

Roy, you said "our existence and our evolution is premised on millions of failures, among which are a few beneficial adaptations." If the environment is overwhelmingly populated with screw-ups wouldn't it be better to learn from the more 'sucessful' pool of failures than to shop from the tiny selection of things that work?

In reply to Scott Johnson

Re: Designing for Emergent Learning

by Roy Williams -

Scott, just as the oxygen and hydrogen atoms do not admit to knowing anything about water, genetic mutations wiould not admit to knowing anything about evolution. In biology there is evolution (and devolution) without intention, knowing or learning. Its just a process of variation and (possilbe) adaptation. What happens happens. 

Learning is different, it is does 'admit' of intention and knowing, and even design. It can create, and can be  a response to, all of these factors. 

What is common to both is the process of frequent interaction between numerous micro-agents, none of whom can be aware of the whole picture, which is the prerequisit for emergence, but cannot predict that it will happen, or how.