*Please distribute to others who may be interested...* You are hereby invited to the next weekly seminar in our interdisciplinary series on Evolution, Complexity and Cognition<http://ecco.vub.ac.be/?q=node/108>(ECCO) and theGlobal Brain Institute<http://www.globalbraininstitute.org/>(GBI).
*Time*:* Friday, June 14th, 14:00-16:00 p.m * *Place*: *Room 3B217 * (building B, level 3, From the elevator take the long corridor to the right, to its end), on the VUB Campus Etterbeek (Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels), Free entrance: everybody welcome! ------------------------------ MODULAR EXAPTATION: A MISSING LINK IN THE SYNTHESIS OF ARTIFICIAL FORM *Pierpaolo Andriani* <[email protected]> Abstract: Exaptation, the serendipitous discovery of a new function for an existing trait or artifact, is a significant event in evolutionary systems. Drawing from the philosophy of technology, evolutionary biology, and innovation studies, the authors develop a description of exaptation, taking into account the agency inherent in the technological sphere and the modularity of technological systems. This multilevel description of exaptation supports a multilevel analysis of technological change. We describe the impact of exaptation on technological change, before we examine the concept of analogy and discuss the foundations for a robust application of evolutionary concepts to technological change, focusing in particular on function, modularity, and selection. Next, we introduce a revised definition of exaptation to account for the modular nature of artifacts and suggest a basic taxonomy of technological change based on modular exaptation. The relationship between exaptive and adaptive processes is investigated and two models that reframe technological change, as a coupled interaction of modular exaptive and adaptive processes, are introduced. In the final section, we discuss some implications for innovation and entrepreneurship. ------------------------------ * Forthcoming ECCO/GBI seminars* *Summer 2013* * June 21** * */////SEMINAR IS CANCELLED///// * * June 28 *Clement Vidal <http://clement.vidal.philosophons.com>(GBI,VUB) Distributing Cognition: from Local Brains to the Global Brain * July 5 * *NO SEMINAR * *July 12 *Marie-Lise Schläppy <[email protected]> (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne) Are all gifted people also highly sensitive? <http://ecco.vub.ac.be/?q=node/204> More info about the ECCO seminar program: http://ecco.vub.ac.be/?q=node/108 -- David R. Weinbaum (Weaver) ECCO/GBI Seminar Coordinator Email: [email protected] http://clea.academia.edu/DavidWeinbaum
