The Rosetta Stone of stability

Abstract

A number of proposals to augment the classical theory of natural selection turn on the need to consider the role of neutral genetic modifications, as well as on the role of patterns of physicochemically stable substructures. There are similarities between this opposition and that within cognitive science, where the dynamic and computational approaches emphasize complementary aspects of perceptual-motor development. This paper summarizes the relevant arguments of the various schools of evolutionary and cognitive theory, as well as the various calls that have been made for unification or complementarity of explanations. An extended concept of stability is then proposed, which bridges the gap between thermodynamic equilibrium and semantic closure.