Applications of natural selection outside of the field of biology
This afternoon I decided to gather uses of evolutionary explanations in fields other than biology. This post features Daniel Dennett discussing evolution in fields other than biology, including languages and music. This discussion is in the video between 15 min and 21 min. Here is a wealth of other applications of natural selection including mention of Gerald Edelman's work (it is often called "neural darwinism," though I didn't use that term in this article). This same post also discusses Randolf Nesse's work on "Darwinian Medicine." Here's a video featuring Nesse. This same article also mentions Geoffrey Miller, who has relied on Darwin's work to explain the evolution of art and consumer behavior. I previously wrote a long post on Geoffrey Miller's work on consumer behavior here. Gad Saad also discusses consumer behavior by reference to evolutionary theory. An article in Discover Magazine, "We All Live in Darwin's World," discusses yet other applications of natural selection outside of biology. This article includes the following quote:
"Natural selection is a source of insight that is unbelievably powerful,” [David Sloan] Wilson says. And its power is not limited to the life sciences. The same selective paradigm can describe the rise of complexity in inanimate systems: stock markets, transit schedules. Though other mathematical models are capable of simulating complex phenomena, only Darwin’s approach shows how certain complex systems not only arise but also adapt over time to the constraints imposed by their environment, as living systems do.