Natural Selection with Objective Imprecise Probability

Marshall Abrams
Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Imprecise Probabilities: Theories and Applications, PMLR 103:2-13, 2019.

Abstract

I argue that natural selection sometimes depends on objective imprecise probabilities. I give a general argument for the existence of objective imprecise probabilities. I then argue that natural selection, whether involving objective imprecise probabilities or not, would give rise to organisms whose behavior was imprecisely probabilistic, and that this would mean that other organisms’ environments were imprecisely probabilistic. Since natural selection can be influenced by the environment, it therefore sometimes depends on objective imprecise probability. I explain why the absence of reports of objective imprecise probability in evolution is nevertheless unsurprising, and provide illustrations of ways to model natural selection with objective imprecise probabilities.

Cite this Paper

BibTeX
@InProceedings{pmlr-v103-abrams19a, title = {Natural Selection with Objective Imprecise Probability}, author = {Abrams, Marshall}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Imprecise Probabilities: Theories and Applications}, pages = {2--13}, year = {2019}, editor = {De Bock, Jasper and de Campos, Cassio P. and de Cooman, Gert and Quaeghebeur, Erik and Wheeler, Gregory}, volume = {103}, series = {Proceedings of Machine Learning Research}, month = {03--06 Jul}, publisher = {PMLR}, pdf = {http://proceedings.mlr.press/v103/abrams19a/abrams19a.pdf}, url = {https://proceedings.mlr.press/v103/abrams19a.html}, abstract = {I argue that natural selection sometimes depends on objective imprecise probabilities. I give a general argument for the existence of objective imprecise probabilities. I then argue that natural selection, whether involving objective imprecise probabilities or not, would give rise to organisms whose behavior was imprecisely probabilistic, and that this would mean that other organisms’ environments were imprecisely probabilistic. Since natural selection can be influenced by the environment, it therefore sometimes depends on objective imprecise probability. I explain why the absence of reports of objective imprecise probability in evolution is nevertheless unsurprising, and provide illustrations of ways to model natural selection with objective imprecise probabilities.} }
Endnote
%0 Conference Paper %T Natural Selection with Objective Imprecise Probability %A Marshall Abrams %B Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Imprecise Probabilities: Theories and Applications %C Proceedings of Machine Learning Research %D 2019 %E Jasper De Bock %E Cassio P. de Campos %E Gert de Cooman %E Erik Quaeghebeur %E Gregory Wheeler %F pmlr-v103-abrams19a %I PMLR %P 2--13 %U https://proceedings.mlr.press/v103/abrams19a.html %V 103 %X I argue that natural selection sometimes depends on objective imprecise probabilities. I give a general argument for the existence of objective imprecise probabilities. I then argue that natural selection, whether involving objective imprecise probabilities or not, would give rise to organisms whose behavior was imprecisely probabilistic, and that this would mean that other organisms’ environments were imprecisely probabilistic. Since natural selection can be influenced by the environment, it therefore sometimes depends on objective imprecise probability. I explain why the absence of reports of objective imprecise probability in evolution is nevertheless unsurprising, and provide illustrations of ways to model natural selection with objective imprecise probabilities.
APA
Abrams, M.. (2019). Natural Selection with Objective Imprecise Probability. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Imprecise Probabilities: Theories and Applications, in Proceedings of Machine Learning Research 103:2-13 Available from https://proceedings.mlr.press/v103/abrams19a.html.

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