Levels of Selection and Individuality in Evolution: Conceptual Issues and the Role of Artificial Life Models September 12, 2009

Understanding how new levels of biological organisation, selection and individuality can arise are exciting and open challenges in both evolutionary biology and artificial life. In attempting to understand these issues we are forced to ask questions that challenge our existing preconceptions of evolutionary theory, such as what kinds of entities can natural selection act on, what are the properties that define an individual, and how can new levels of heredity arise? In this workshop we aim to provide a forum to discuss and debate these issues, drawing on the philosophical and modelling expertise of artificial life researchers in areas such as autonomy, emergence and self organisation.

Confirmed Invited Speaker: Prof. Eörs Szathmáry (Collegium Budapest)

The main focus of this workshop will be on discussion of important conceptual issues and the application of techniques and philosophy from artificial life in addressing these. Submissions are invited that discuss any aspect of levels of selection, organisation, and individuality in evolution, including:

• Multi-level selection


• Evolution of cooperative behaviour


• Prebiotic evolution and the origins of life


• Philosophical issues in levels of selection and the major transitions


• Comparisons of the utility of different types of model


• Cultural evolution and other non-genetic sources of heredity


• Inclusive fitness / kin selection


• Species-level selection; ecosystem selection


• How to recognise genuine higher-level selection


• Niche construction


• Self-organisation as a support for higher-level selection

This is a workshop to be held within the framework of ECAL 2009 conference.

Conference information provided by konferenciakalauz.hu

Official Website: http://www.sense.ecs.soton.ac.uk/levels-of-selection-workshop-2009/