Models+of+explanation+(and+end)

Prev: Ecosystem complexity, selection and insight

=Models of explanation= What is an explanation? "//waarom zijn de bananen krom?"// (dutch for: why are bananas bent?) Answer: if they are not bent then it is not a banana!

This of course is a trivial tautology (not bent not banana). So one makes from a reasonable question an unreasonable one). This is not an interesting form of explanation (cf. survival of fittest: a tautology can give a very interesting insight -> not necessarily the case, fitness is time dependent!)

So what then is real, banana, culture, fitness?
 * we can make many definitions of culture
 * cf all model results: tautology follows from model inputs, but doesn't mean it is not interesting, but may mean that we have to (re)define concepts such that we get the most interesting and informative results
 * thus we can define sets of concepts such that they hang together in a meaningful way


 * Almost all cases**:
 * bend is of course generic, there are many ways to do it
 * straight is only one explanation
 * if there are local interactions: the default is spatial pattern formation (cf lymph nodes)
 * however, straight is the simplest (linear) case: easiest solvable versus generic (so explain why bent!)

or
 * Bending is optimal because it is against gravity?**
 * cf walking in circles behaviour: very special?
 * for what it is optimal: minimum distance to patrol target area
 * robot with one motor: one step forward and turn angle
 * dangerous to have explanation in terms of optimal because generic property of motor is such that move in circle
 * optimal for whom? (in multi-level selection)
 * cost / benefit trade-off
 * dangerous: there is not much info and don't see other interaction pattern than those one would expect

Thus:
 * NOT TRUE THAT ONLY ONE EXPLANATION IS WORTHWHILE TO DO!**
 * ALL ARE! LOOK AT DIFFERENT ASPECTS!**


 * MULTI-LEVEL SYSTEMS IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS REQUIRE MULTI-LEVEL EXPLANATIONS**