So Now What?
The Von Neumann Self-reproducing
On Genetic Absolutism
In any case, what would be the alternative if Genetic Absolutism were not adopted?
Well, the alternative to Genetic Absolutism is Genetic Relativism (McMullin, 1992b, Section 5.4), which envisages that the mapping between genotype (description tape) and phenotype (self-reproducing automaton) is not fixed or absolute but may vary from one organism (automaton) to another.
If we tackle von Neumann's problem in a framework of
Genetic Relativism, we do not restrict attention to a
single 
, giving rise to an ``homogenous'' set of
self-reproducers, all sharing the same genetic language.
Instead we introduce the possibility of having many different core automata--
etc. Each of these
will process a more or less different genetic
language, and will thus give rise to its own unique set of
related self-reproducers. We must still establish that most if
not all self-reproducers in each such set are connected under
mutation; but, in addition, we must try to show that
there are at least some mutational connections between the different such sets.
The latter is, of course, a much more difficult task, because the
mutations in question are now associated with changes in the very
languages used to decode the description tapes. But, if such
connections could be established, then, for the purposes of
solving von Neumann's problem we are no longer restricted to
considering the range of complexities of any single von Neumman
set of self-reproducers (i.e., anchored on a single , with a
common description language), but can instead consider the union
of many--indeed a potential infinity--of such sets.
Now clearly, in terms simply of solving von Neumann's problem, Genetic Relativism introduces severe complications which are not necessary, or even strictly useful. For now we have to exhibit not one, but multiple core general constructive automata, processing not one, but multiple genetic languages; and we have to characterise the range of complexity, and mutational connectivity, of not one but multiple sets of self-reproducers; and finally, we still have to establish the existence of mutational links between these different sets of self-reproducers. The only benefit in this approach seems to be that maybe--just maybe--the distinct general constructive automata can be, individually, significantly simpler or less powerful than the single one required under Genetic Absolutism; but it seems quite unlikely that this could outweigh the additional complications.
So Now What?
The Von Neumann Self-reproducing
On Genetic Absolutism
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Timestamp: 2000-08-16