However, the evolution theory itself needs to be evolved over time to be adapted to the latest scientific developments.

The modern evolutionary synthesis was the first major update to Darwin’s model.

The main idea behind the update was integrating the latest achievements and understandings from biology in the original evolutionary framework. As many biologists believed that the mutation and natural selection are overrated in the evolutionary process.

Modern synthesis was not the last update. In recent years, many other evolutionary biologists are pushing for further developments in the evolutionary theory. Again by considering some other evolutionary motives beyond natural selection.

These new updates are called extended evolutionary synthesis. Although discussions about extending the Darwinian theory has been around for a couple of decades, last years, the Royal Society held various meetings and gathering hoping to achieve some consensus among biologists about a new up-to-date version of the  Darwinian model.

You can find a simple yet reliable account of the recent meeting of the prominent biologists about the extended evolutionary synthesis in Quanta Magazine. However, as discussions are mostly based on advanced laboratory experiments, they are easily understandable for us as general readers.

Putting aside all biological discussions and challenges, for anyone interested in complex systems, there are still some points that have to be included in the extended versions of the evolutionary framework.

The original idea of evolution is solely based on the competition between entities in an environment with limited resources. Therefore, the natural selection and survival of the fittest are considered as the main driving forces behind evolution in the original and even, extended model.

Despite many helpful descriptions provided by the theory, there’s a very fundamental vagueness in the model: We have not a clear definition of the fitness concept.

Evolutionists talk about survival of the fittest. But when you ask them about the fitness itself, you will hear: the survived species are the species with the highest fitness.

By the way, this is not the only problem with the original model. The science of complex systems tells us that even in the absence of the competition and the limited resources, still, the environmental constraints can push a complex system to adapt itself to the environment through self-organization.

This self-organizing capability in complex systems is close to the plasticity concept used by evolutionist biologists.

So, whether we call it an update or extension, we should hold in mind that any evolutionary model of a system has to consider two inherently different components.

Despite all the above discussion, critics of Darwinian theory should not be so happy. Even with these updates and challenges, Darwin still holds the highest position in the hierarchy of all scientists who have ever tried to describe the phenomenal emergence of life on the planet.

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Although such an assumption could be true for the human species, for many other species who have shorter lifespans, it’s possible to arrange laboratory settings exhibiting the evolutionary process.

Here you can see a time lapse video published by Harvard Medical School demonstrating evolution of the bacteria against antibiotics over a couple of generations.

The whole evolutionary process happened in about ten days.

Considering the distinction between the special theory of evolution and general theory of evolution, the following experiment can be regarded as a demonstration of the special version.

The experiment is administered by Tamy Lieberman and Roy Kishony.

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Darwin’s theory of evolution itself has experienced an evolutionary process. A process that started around a very sensitive topic: The origin of species.

As it always has been a long historical debate between believers and non-believers about the origin of the world and the humans, soon both camps found a new battleground for the old debate.

However, as they are just proposing two opposing models of the world which never could be proved or disproved, as we know, neither advocates of intelligent design school (or so-called creationists) nor proponents of the evolutionary theories, would never be able to push the other party out of the game.

Creationists – as they say – are talking about something beyond human sense and sensibility. Therefore, their view of the world could never be disproved scientifically.

On the other side of the battle, evolutionists are trying to collect scientific evidence and, science is inherently doubtful about itself. In the eyes of the scientists, The Science (with big S) will be forever incomplete and therefore, a real scientist would never believe in his assertions.

Scientists just consider their theories as working models of the perceived reality and nothing more.

Special theory of evolution vs. General theory of evolution

Kerkut’s distinction between the special and general theory of evolution is one of the simplest descriptions available in the literature:

There is a theory which states that many living animals can be observed over the course of time to undergo changes so that new species are formed. This can be called the ‘Special Theory of Evolution’ and can be demonstrated in certain cases by experiments. On the other hand, there is the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form. This theory can be called the ‘General Theory of Evolution’ and the evidence that supports it is not sufficiently strong to allow us to consider it as anything more than a working hypothesis.

Some of the critics of the evolution theory have accepted it up to a certain level which is referred to as the special theory of evolution. However, most of them consider the general theory of evolution as an overgeneralization of the concept.

Evolution as a problem-solving tool: a lost opportunity

Although the origin of Darwin’s evolution theory goes back to his researches about the origin of the species, applications of his model have potential to go much further than the original use.

However, the puzzle of creation has been so amusing for the homo sapiens that most of them couldn’t take a look at more urgent and closer problems waiting for a workable solution.

Sure, I’m talking about the ordinary people with a common understanding of science. Because for the majority of the scientists, the evolution has already proved itself as a helpful approach for the understanding of the complex systems.

Despite all the above points, it’s still a pity that we humans have missed the opportunity to use this brilliant tool at its full potential for understanding and re-engineering our environment.

For evolution to be used as a problem-solving tool, you need the following pre-conditions:

• A solution generation process (sure every proposed solution can be partially or entirely wrong)
• Either a long timespan, for solving the problem or a fast and powerful solution processing system
• A process (or property) in the system which promotes variation in the proposed solutions
• A selection process that prefers some of the solutions to the others. Such a selection process can emerge in most of the environments with limited resources. Every environment with limited resources inevitably forces some of the solutions out of the game.
• A retention process, helping the preferred solutions to survive or transmit their experience to the next generation.

The above concept with the same or similar wording can be found in texts of Dawkins or other evolution theorists.

Although the debates between creationists and evolutionists seem to have no end – at least in the near future – the evolution as a problem-solving tool would remain the most brilliant invention or innovation or discovery of the humans ever since they have become conscious of their existence in the universe.

Genetic Algorithms, Complex Systems, Mathematical Optimization Models, A/B testings and conversion optimization (in digital marketing) are just a few samples of the species evolved in the universe that Darwin created for us.

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