The ultimate future of Artificial Life:
Towards Artificial Cosmogenesis
Clément Vidal
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Centrum Leo Apostel (CLEA)
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition (ECCO)
http://clement.vidal.philosophons.com
Outline
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Simulating an entire universe
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Increase of computational resources
Bridging physical, biological and cultural evolution
Replaying the « tape of the universe »
Simulation or realization?
Cosmic perspective
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Heat death problem
Philosophical approach
From Cosmological Natural Selection to Cosmological
Artificial Selection.
Introduction
Introduction
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Cosmic evolution gave rise to living
organisms capable of reverse engineering
the process that gave rise to them.
What is the future of ALife (and generally
simulations in science) considering a
cosmological time-scale?
Simulating an entire universe
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Increase of computational resources
Bridging physical, biological and cultural evolution
Replaying the « tape of the universe »
Simulation or realization?
Increase of computational
resources
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Externalization of
memory
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Moore’s law
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Writing
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Externalization of
computing
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Computing devices
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the number of transistors
doubles every 18 months
on a single microprocessor
Increase in processing
speed and memory
capacity
Limit : black hole
“computer”
(Lloyd 2000, Kurzweil
2006)
More general trend
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Chaisson (2001, 2003) thermodynamically
grounded quantitative metric for complex
systems.
Free energy rate density (noted Φm)
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rate at which free energy transits in a
complex system of a given mass.
Dimension: energy per time per mass (erg s-1
g-1)
Bridging physical, biological and
cultural evolution
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First challenge for ALife
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digital universe simulating this rise of levels of
complexity in the physical, biological, and
cultural realms. (conceptual and
methodological problems here).
In short, this is the challenge of simulating an
entire universe.
Replaying the
« tape of the universe »
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“what would remain the same if the tape of the
universe were replayed?”
Paraphrasing (Gould 1990)
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Research program for the fine-tuning problem in
cosmology
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if any of a number of parameters, fundamental
constants in physics and also initial conditions in
cosmology were slightly different, no complexity of
any sort would come into existence
Simulation or realization?
"The intent of this work is to synthesize
rather than simulate life."
Thomas (Ray 1992, 372)
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Traditional-like simulations
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OUR real-world is modelled
Better predictions/understanding
ALife-like simulations
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A new digital-world is created and explored
Is it realization? Open debate. (Pattee 1995).
Cosmic perspective
Heat death problem
 Philosophical approach
 From Cosmological Natural Selection to
Cosmological Artificial Selection.
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The heat death problem (HD)
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Second law of thermodynamics
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Application to the universe
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the entropy of an isolated system will tend to
increase over time
the universe will irreversibly go towards a state
of maximum entropy. Helmholtz in 1854.
No possibility of infinite continuation of life.
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Field of physical eschatology (Ćirković 2003)
Darwin’s view
“ Believing as I do that man
in the distant future will
be a far more perfect
creature than he now is,
it
is
an
intolerable
thought that he and all
other sentient beings are
doomed
to
complete
annihilation after such
long-continued
slow
progress”
(Darwin 1887, 70).
Philosophical approach
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What is the ultimate fate of humanity
and the universe in the very distant
future?
speculative philosophical approach (Broad
1924); (Vidal 2007) for a method.
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No unambiguous empirical or experimental
support
ambitious question, the proposed answer can
only be tentative and speculative.
From Cosmological Natural
Selection to Cosmological Artificial
Selection.
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Cosmological natural selection (CNS) as an
attempt to solve the fine-tuning problem
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VARIATION: Black holes give birth to new universes
by producing the equivalent of a Big Bang, which
produces a baby universe with slightly different
physical laws and constants.
SELECTION: The differential success in selfreproduction of universes via their black holes.
Limitations of Smolin’s theory
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Life’s role in the universe is incidental.
The physical laws aren’t fine-tuned to maximize
black hole production.
(Rees 1997, p251), quoted in (Gardner 2003, p84)
No mechanism of heredity. (Gardner 2003, p84)
Cosmological Artificial Selection
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VARIATION: Different simulations of entire
universes.
SELECTION: Artificial selection of the
suitable simulated universes.
From simulation to realization
(very speculative topic!)
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Realization is here the
reproduction of the
universe.
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Black holes are good
candidates for
universe reproduction
(ultimate computing
device)
Evolutionary Developmental
Universe
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Example: Body / Germline analogy
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(Smart 2008)
Biology: The body dies, not the germline
(DNA), which is passed on to the offspring.
Cosmology: the universe dies (HD), not its
germline (“laws of nature”) which are
First deciphered by intelligent life (phenomenon of
science)
 Then passed on via intelligent life to an offspring
universe.
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Much more to explore…
Thank you for your attention !
Questions are welcome now or later
clement.vidal@philosophons.com
Discussion
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Exploring Chaisson’s curve
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Big Bang data
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Evo Devo Universe
Research community
U curve? EDU analogy?
Moore’s law
Predict artificial
cosmogenesis?
Contact me if interested in
these projects! 
Conference in Paris 8-9
October 2008
www.evodevouniverse.com
Bibliography
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---. 2003. A unifying concept for astrobiology. International Journal of Astrobiology 2, no. 02: 91-101.
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Ćirković, M. M. 2003. Resource Letter: PEs-1: Physical eschatology. American Journal of Physics 71: 122.
http://www.aob.bg.ac.yu/~mcirkovic/Cirkovic03_RESOURCE_LETTER.pdf.
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