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Gunnar Zarncke's avatar

I commented on this post before it was ported to the Substack with my suggestion what the next meta innovation could be. I found the corresponding post on Wayback Machine:

https://www.overcomingbias.com/2022/10/what-will-be-fifth-meta-innovation.html

Unfortunately, the Disqus there doesn't load and it seems all comments are gone.

I probably posted as Gunnar Zarncke. Robin, if you have access to the old Disqus threads, can you post my comment? I want to use it for a reply to Zvi's Response to Quintin Pope's Evolution Provides No Evidence For the Sharp Left Turn

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Wr7N9ji36EvvvrqJK/response-to-quintin-pope-s-evolution-provides-no-evidence

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Swami's avatar

"…all four seems to be due to better ways to diffuse, as opposed to create, innovations. Lump 1 was clearly the introduction of natural selection, where biological reproduction spreads innovations. Lump 2 seems somewhat clearly cultural evolution, wherein we learned enough how to copy the better observed behaviors of others."

I am not so sure about your emphasis on diffusion over creation of innovation. Natural selection works by generating minor variation in the copying process and then having differential selection. This is both a system of innovation discovery as well as propagation. They are tied together. As a side note, sex is a breakthrough in innovation (via recombination) and seems to have emerged around the time of nucleated cells and to be extremely important (though not essential) to multicellularity.

Similarly, cultural diffusion is creative in the act of being propagated. Minor variations are introduced in the act of copying others, and a new type of selection is created via the various choices we make in what to copy or preserve.

My point is that I would not put so much emphasis on diffusion breakthroughs over innovation breakthroughs. Indeed, I would actually add a third dimension to breakthroughs. Namely, breakthroughs in coordination or organization. I think the longer history of the universe can be modeled using a conceptual framework of meta breakthroughs in innovation, propagation and coordination.

Examples of the latter include cells, nucleated cells, multicellularity, social colonies (like ants), forager bands, villages, states, empires, global market networks and global scientific communities.

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