Knowing life: possible solutions to the practical epistemological limits in the study of artificial life

Abstract

The primary objective of this article is to address the concerns of critics of artificial life (AL) studies by looking at how AL can solve the epistemological problems that occur when computer simulations are used to study, or instantiate, real world phenomena. The experimental strategy used in AL is very different from that used in more traditional biological studies and the critics of AL argue that it is not clear to what extent these simulations will be useful to traditional theoretical biology. We will counter these criticisms by looking back at John Von Neumann's foundational work in Artificial Life experimentation in order to shed light on the proper use of AL models as we look forward towards their applications beyond just theoretical biology. We show that AL models built with an understanding of their theoretical constraints can be useful in the study of any subject that seeks an evolutionary explanation—everything from straightforwardly scientific questions of ethology and origins of life theories to sociobiology and philosophical issues such as evolutionary ethics.