Russ & Nick, Regarding multilevel selection, aren't there multi-level systems involved? Certainly a change in cell behavior affects the organism, and the local pack, and larger population, and the local ecology too. But you also have reverse effects in that the larger scale orders greatly alter what each lower order differences will make a difference. Then there's the interesting aspect that some kinds of complex systems overlap in lots of ways, like complexly varied ecosystems with many intersecting levels, and so a simple hierarchy is not what is operating either.
What can, if you follow it through, straighten all that out is considering systems as individual exploratory networks. Then you can still have independent ones that overlap and they still work fine, and all of them can have a role in mediating selection for all the others. Phil Henshaw ¸¸¸¸.·´ ¯ `·.¸¸¸¸ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 680 Ft. Washington Ave NY NY 10040 tel: 212-795-4844 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] explorations: www.synapse9.com "it's not finding what people say interesting, but finding the interest in what they say" ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
