Darwinian evolution theory

Some of the terms used in classical thermodynamics which refer to equilibrium states and closed systems have become important outside the boundaries of physics one example is the term adapted state in Darwinian evolution theory, which represents a type of equilibrium state between the organism and its environment. 

Figure 2. A comparison of Darwinian evolution theory and in vitro selection.

A genetic algorithm is a stochastic global search method that mimics the metaphor of natural biological evolution. This Darwinian evolution theory is a well known paradigm that has been proved to be robust when applied to search and optimization problems [5]. Evolution is determined by a natural selection of individuals (based on their fitness) which, is expected to be better throughout a determined number of generations by means of recombination and mutation operations. 

Genetic algorithm (GA) is a kind of widely used method to determine the global minimum structure of a cluster. It can sample the potential energy surface efficiently and hop from one region of the PES to another region rather easily. It is inspired by Darwinian evolution theory that only the fittest individuals can survive. The basic philosophy of GA is to mimic the natural selection and evolution processes in nature. The essential idea of GA procedure is to allow a population of a number of individual candidates to evolve under a given selection rule that maximizes the fitness function. 

Blavatsky s main polemical purpose in Isis Unveiled was to undermine the materialist nature of Darwinian evolution and to build a spiritual system based upon an evolutionary theory revamped to include the life force and spiritual goals. She defined the terms of her argument by articulating an emana-tionist perspective against an orthodox evolutionist interpretation ... 

Kimura, M. (1983). The Neutral Theory of Evolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. King, J.L. Jukes, T.H. (1969). Non-Darwinian evolution Random fixation of selectively neutral variants. Science 164, 788-798. 

Neutral evolution is based on the hypothesis that most mutations made on the molecular level do not alter the fitness of an organism (Kimura, 1983 Kimura, 1991). This is in contrast to adaptive, or Darwinian, evolution, which asserts that mutational changes that survive selection usually have a beneficial effect. There is empirical evidence supporting both theories (King and Jukes, 1969 Kimura, 1991 Eanes et al., 1993 Hall, 1998). Recent efforts have focused on the relationship between neutral and adaptive evolution and insight has been provided into the mechanisms by which neutral evolution can drive adaptation. The neutral structure of a fitness landscape can aid the evolutionary search. Adaptive... 

I find this theory unconvincing, because the supposed ancestral mental state would never have been selected for by Darwinian evolution in the first place, as it would never have been adaptive in the "cold cruel world". Such an evolution would have required that our ancestors evolved in some kind of benign garden of eden, for which there is only contrary evidence. None-the-less, there remains the possibility that within the wide range of human genetic variation, there will appear individuals like Christ and the Buddha, whose mental makeup varies to these maladaptive extremes through chance rather than selection. The occasional presence of such individuals in cultures can have a tremendous impact, even if the vast majority of humanity is never able to achieve their level of enlightenment. 

Therefore it is impossible for the knee to evolve from a simpler joint like the hip or the elbow, according to the theory of evolution. How such a device could have evolved in a gradual, step-by-step process as required by classic Darwinian evolution is an insurmountable obstacle to evolutionists. ... 

Lamarckian is modeled on Lamarck s theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics, in much the same way that the basic GA is modeled on Darwinian evolution. The term usually means that the evaluation function takes the initial parameters decoded from the chromosome and carries out a local function minimization. The parameter values at the local minimum are recoded into the chromosome and passed back to the main GA routine along with the value of the fitness function at that point. The environment has caused a direct and (locally) beneficial change in the individual s genes that can be passed on to its offspring. 

Some of the mathematical basis for the equations is due to the geneticist Moto Kimura, who is considered a resolute proponent of the neutral theory of evolution , which states that statistical, chance fluctuations are more important in the formation of new species than is Darwinian natural selection. Evolution via such chance fluctuations is referred to as genetic drift . Dyson considers that both forms of evolution are important (Dyson, 1999). 

It is also apparent that the anti-Darwinian movement comes not so much from the present and past Pope, but rather from side-kick zealots - see, for example, the short editorial by Holden (Holden, 2005). As for myself, I would be more sympathetic towards the creationists camp if experimental evidence were to be provided. It is not difficult to conceive what this should be simply find equally old fossils of horses, dinosaurs, hominids, snails, cynobacteria, and sword fish. As long as this simple evidence is not forthcoming, it is probably safe to be scientifically very sceptical about the creationistic view (in this sense, it is almost funny that the creatioifists lament some small gaps in the theory of evolution). If you are interested in the creationist movement in Latin America and Mexico, in particular, see the recent article by Lazcano (Lazcano, 2005). 

Ernst Mayr, the foremost living interpreter of Darwinian philosophy, is removing the evolutionary idea from the fundamental laws of science and declares it concept driven . He is distancing himself, Darwin and his evolutionary theory from Laplacien determinism and thus makes Darwinism untouchable by Popper s falsification test for hypotheses of science. Darwinism must be recognized as a scheme of plausible explanations, each justified by a prior assertion. Ernst Mayr is correct as concerns the character of the Darwinian model and with that realization the answer has been found as to why a new hypothesis of evolution. 

It is now approximately half a century since the neo-Darwinian synthesis was formulated. A great deal of research has been carried on within the paradigm it defines. Yet the successes of the theory are limited to the minutiae of evolution, such as the adaptive change in coloration of moths while it has remarkably little to say on the questions which interest us most, such as how there came to be moths in the first place.5... 

There is a considerable gap in the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution, and we believe this gap to be of such a nature that it cannot be bridged with the current conception of biology.12... 

Publish or perish is a proverb that academicians take seriously. If you do not publish your work for the rest of the community to evaluate, then you have no business in academia (and if you don t already have tenure, you will be banished). But the saying can be applied to theories as well. If a theory claims to be able to explain some phenomenon but does not generate even an attempt at an explanation, then it should be banished. Despite comparing sequences and mathematical modeling, molecular evolution has never addressed the question of how complex structures came to be. In effect, the theory of Darwinian molecular evolution has not published, and so it should perish. 

---