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Causal Biomimesis: Self-replication as Evolutionary Consequence

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Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems (Living Machines 2017)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 10384))

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Abstract

For millions of years, hominins have been engaged in tool-making and concomitant experimentation. This cognitive enterprise has eventually led to the creation of synthetic intelligence in the form of complex computing and artificial agents, whose purported purpose is to elucidate the workings of human biology and consciousness, automate tasks, and develop interventions for disease. However, much of the expensive research efforts invested in understanding complex natural systems has resulted in limited rewards for treatment of disease. This paper proposes the novel ‘causal biomimesis’ hypothesis: with respect to the relationship between humans and artificial life, the virtually inevitable intrinsic evolutionary consequence of tool-making and biomimetic efforts—and the capacity for objective thought and the scientific method itself—is the full-scale replication of human cognitive functionality, agency, and potentially consciousness in silico. This self-replication transpires through a cycle of anthropogenic biomimetic auto-catalysis driven by instrumental cognition—from objective reasoning in hominin tool-maker through to post-biological reproduction by synthetic agents—and is self-organized and co-enacted between agent and the produced artefactual aggregates. In light of this radical hypothesis, existential and ethical implications are considered for further exploration.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia

    Gabriel Axel Montes

  2. Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia

    Gabriel Axel Montes

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  1. Gabriel Axel Montes
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Correspondence to Gabriel Axel Montes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom

    Michael Mangan

  2. Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA

    Mark Cutkosky

  3. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Anna Mura

  4. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Paul F.M.J. Verschure

  5. University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Tony Prescott

  6. Bristol University, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Nathan Lepora

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Montes, G.A. (2017). Causal Biomimesis: Self-replication as Evolutionary Consequence. In: Mangan, M., Cutkosky, M., Mura, A., Verschure, P., Prescott, T., Lepora, N. (eds) Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Living Machines 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10384. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63537-8_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63537-8_28

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63536-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63537-8

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