Swarm Intelligence

Stochastic Adaptation: Is Anything Ever Really Random?

There was a word in the previous paragraph that will become a core con-

cept for everything we will be talking about. The word is adapt. It has

been argued that an important dimension of difference between animate

and inanimate things is the ability to adapt. Later we will consider an ar-

gument that intelligence is a propensity or ability to adapt, as well. So it

will be good to dwell on the term for a moment, to consider what it

means.

The word “adaptation” comes from a Latin root meaning “to fit to.”

Thus right from the beginning the word implies that there are two

things: something that adapts ...