Lets break it down
Variation—Even including all the things you don’t mention such as variable mutation rates across the length of the genome, transposons, hox genes and segmented body types, your picture is still probably right
Selection—Since what selects which creature dies or reproduces is the whole rest of the ecosystem and physical surroundings, I would respectfully disagree that this is simpler than the creature.
Simple things cannot drive the complexity of things very high. Have a look at the simple environments of Tierra and other Alife models and see how they tend to peter out without anything very much of interest being created. Despite using the “same” variation and selection of evolution.
My main problem with your view of the human brain, is that the brain does not remain untouched while it learns. It doesn’t do what you want to do, but still it isn’t unchanged. I think it modifies itself down to the equivalent of machine code, it is just invisible to the conscious brain it is all being done lower down. There is no reason the conscious monkey part of the brain should have permission to alter the low level bits, if it doesn’t understand anything about it. Nothing else could explain to me how it learns echolocation in the blind, repurposes the visual cortex for braille and expands the hippocampus of cabbies. Tell me what exactly is the protected structure of the brain that doesn’t or can’t change, because I just don’t see it.
There might be bits protected from the top level, but then the top conscious level has no clue on how to alter it, and possibly never could considering the complexity differential between the low levels and the top levels, and the difficulties at altering a moving target. This does not mean they are not altered.
Evolution less complex than a creature?
Lets break it down Variation—Even including all the things you don’t mention such as variable mutation rates across the length of the genome, transposons, hox genes and segmented body types, your picture is still probably right
Selection—Since what selects which creature dies or reproduces is the whole rest of the ecosystem and physical surroundings, I would respectfully disagree that this is simpler than the creature.
Simple things cannot drive the complexity of things very high. Have a look at the simple environments of Tierra and other Alife models and see how they tend to peter out without anything very much of interest being created. Despite using the “same” variation and selection of evolution.
My main problem with your view of the human brain, is that the brain does not remain untouched while it learns. It doesn’t do what you want to do, but still it isn’t unchanged. I think it modifies itself down to the equivalent of machine code, it is just invisible to the conscious brain it is all being done lower down. There is no reason the conscious monkey part of the brain should have permission to alter the low level bits, if it doesn’t understand anything about it. Nothing else could explain to me how it learns echolocation in the blind, repurposes the visual cortex for braille and expands the hippocampus of cabbies. Tell me what exactly is the protected structure of the brain that doesn’t or can’t change, because I just don’t see it.
There might be bits protected from the top level, but then the top conscious level has no clue on how to alter it, and possibly never could considering the complexity differential between the low levels and the top levels, and the difficulties at altering a moving target. This does not mean they are not altered.