Based on the provided sources, particularly W. Ross Ashby’s writings on “Systems and Information” and “The Self-Reproducing System,” the concepts of speciation (often discussed by Ashby in terms of reproduction, differentiation, and localized adaptation) and non-ergodicity are significant because they define the fundamental differences between living, adaptive systems and the static or repetitive systems often studied in classical physics and basic communication theory.
1. The Significance of Non-Ergodicity
Ashby argues that the study of biological and intelligent systems requires a departure from the “ergodic” assumptions that underpin much of classical communication theory (like Shannon’s original work on telephone systems).
• Adaptation is Non-Ergodic: An ergodic system visits all its possible states eventually and maintains stable probabilities over time. Ashby points out that adaptive systems are necessarily non-ergodic. Adaptation involves a system finding a “better” way of behaving and sticking to it, thereby permanently rejecting the “bad” ways of behaving. Ideally, the system changes its organization to avoid returning to previous errors. If a system were ergodic, it would eventually repeat its errors, un-learning what it had learned[1].
• Memory vs. Ergodicity: Ashby states that “retaining memory is essentially complementary with being ergodic, and essentially incompatible”[2]. For a system to have memory, its present state must carry a trace of the past that is not washed away by random mixing. An ergodic system eventually scrambles all traces of its history.
• The “Interesting” Transient: In many biological studies (e.g., observing an ant colony or a developing embryo), the system is observed during a unique, non-repeating trajectory (a transient) as it moves towards equilibrium. Ashby argues that the “ergodic” portion of the trajectory—what happens after the system has settled down into a final dead equilibrium—is “degenerate” and uninteresting. The significant, life-like behavior occurs during the non-ergodic transient phase[3].
2. The Significance of Speciation (Reproduction and Localization)
While Ashby often uses the terms “reproduction” or “differentiation” rather than “speciation,” he attributes the existence of distinct, reproducing biological forms (species/individuals) to specific properties of the terrestrial environment.
• Adaptation to Localized Disturbances: Ashby argues that reproduction is not a magical property of life but a specialized adaptation to a specific type of disturbance: the localized threat.
◦ If the Earth were subject to global, simultaneous destruction (e.g., the atmosphere vanished), a single massive organism would be as safe (or doomed) as a million small ones. There would be no advantage in multiplicity[6][7]. ◦ However, because terrestrial disturbances are localized (e.g., a rock falls here, a predator attacks there), there is immense survival value in dispersing widely separated replicates. If one is destroyed, others survive. Thus, the breaking up of life into distinct, dispersed units (individuals/species) is a direct response to the “badness” of the environment being localized[8]. • Selection of “resistant” forms: Speciation can be viewed as the outcome of dynamic systems running to equilibrium. Ashby illustrates this with a computer simulation where numbers interact (multiply). “Even” numbers reproduce better than “odd” numbers, and “zeros” eventually exterminate all competitors. This demonstrates that any dynamic system will inevitably evolve (“speciate”) toward forms that are uniquely resistant to the operations (laws) of that environment[12].
• Polystability and Dispersion: Complex systems tend to be polystable, meaning they settle into local equilibria (sub-systems) rather than a single global state. This allows different parts of a system (or different species in an ecosystem) to adapt to local conditions independently. “Dispersion” occurs when activity shifts from one set of variables to another, allowing for the differentiation of functions and behaviors akin to speciation within a single complex system[15][16].
In summary, non-ergodicity is significant because it allows for learning, memory, and the history-dependent accumulation of adaptation. Speciation/reproduction is significant because it is the optimal strategic response to an environment where lethal disturbances occur locally rather than globally.
References
[1] Ashby - Systems and Information.pdf [2] Ashby - Systems and Information.pdf [3] Ashby - Requisite Variety and its implications for the Control of Complex Systems.pdf [6] Ashby Mechanisms.pdf [7] Ashby-Mechanisms_of_intelligence_ocr.pdf [8] Ashby Mechanisms.pdf [12] Ashby Mechanisms.pdf [15] [Book] Ashby - Design for a Brain The origin of adaptive behaviour.pdf [16] [Book] Ashby - Design for a Brain The origin of adaptive behaviour.pdf