Evolution and Adaptation
Spontaneous order arises from interactions between elements' behavioral rules and specific environmental conditions. Changes in the environment necessitate corresponding changes in individual behavior to maintain overall order. This interplay transforms both the spontaneous order and its environment, creating a continuous feedback loop.
Those behavioral rules are those of elements within an order or structure that create and define these elements initially. Therefore mutations of these rules create new elements within the same complex system. In other words, the elements undergo transformation and progressive change. For example, imagine a department undergoing a restructure or introducing a new product or service into the market.
It is important to differentiate between individual behavioral patterns and the overall order or structure. This distinction emphasizes the relationship between the individual and the larger system, where individual behaviors contribute to, and are simultaneously shaped by, the broader societal framework (behavioral rules). Both these aspects stand in relation to each other in a way where the individual partakes in the bigger picture; however, the big picture also requires or enables individual patterns but can also prevent them. In other words, the individual is able to be this exact individual because society enables or gives it an opportunity to be that way. This is beneficial in this specific society for the individual to develop certain aspects of itself, and this society, in the end, is an aggregate of these individual patterns of behavior developed by individuals for that society. This dynamic resembles a self-fulfilling prophecy or the self-regulating and perpetuating cycle of supply and demand within a system.
For example, if a company changes its direction and requires different behaviors, it must ensure that the people within the organisation can exhibit these behaviors to match the shift in supply and demand within the system. If everything moves toward digitalization for example, individuals need to adapt their behavior to thrive and change direction both individually and collectively.
The evolutionary process selects systems of behavioral rules rather than individual actions. The effectiveness of behavioral rules does not depend on them being articulated or even articulable. They do not need to be consciously known by the individuals acting within the system. Instead, it is sufficient that they effectively determine the behavior of the system’s elements. Rules do not need to be verbalised to exert their influence. As the mode of action and benefits of single rules or behaviors are always selected in context and in relationship to all other rules that lead to a specific overall order, only those rules that make sense for the bigger picture and work well with other rules are selected to continue functioning.
This process can also be observed in the animal kingdom. For example, consider a flock of birds migrating together. Each bird follows simple behavioral rules, such as maintaining a certain distance from its neighbors and adjusting its flight in response to external factors like wind direction. These individual behaviors, when combined, result in the self-organising order of the flock’s coordinated movement. No single bird dictates the migration path; instead, the flock’s behavior emerges from the interactions of all its members, adapting to environmental challenges collectively without conscious intention or articulation of rules.
Behavioral rules often have a negative character. For this reason, it is useful to establish rules that prohibit behaviors whose consequences are unknown. Negative rules that logically delineate what is not allowed simultaneously define what is permissible. This approach effectively narrows down the range of variability, ensuring a more manageable system.
Behavioral patterns with known and predictable consequences are preferable to those whose outcomes are uncertain. These guiding principles help create a balance between order and adaptability, shaping the environment in a way that encourages effective decision-making.
For example, in the sport of football, offside rules serve as a negative guideline by restricting players from gaining an unfair advantage. While the rule explicitly states what cannot be done, it also shapes the permissible strategies within the game, encouraging players to develop tactics that adhere to this constraint. The offside rule narrows the variety of gameplay while fostering a more strategic and engaging competition.
The rule-bound nature of individual behavior of elements within a system has been recognized as a decisive force for the emergence of spontaneous order. Spontaneous order is not merely the sum of individual behavioral regularities but arises from the interaction of individual components and the system as a whole with an external environment. Consequently, changes in the environment necessitate adjustments in the behavioral rules of individuals to maintain the order as a whole. This dynamic alters the spontaneous order itself as well as the environment of this order, which in turn affects the behavioral rules of individuals.
For example, in a coral reef ecosystem, individual organisms such as fish, corals, and algae interact with one another and their environment. If the temperature of the water increases due to climate change, corals may expel their algae, leading to bleaching. This environmental change forces individual species to adapt their behaviors—such as fish altering their feeding or migration patterns—to sustain the broader ecosystem’s order. In this way, the interaction between individual behaviors and external environmental shifts continuously reshapes the spontaneous order of the coral reef.
