---
slug: oip-node-c09-selection-variation-retention-universal-darwinism
title: Node C09: Selection / Variation-Retention (Universal Darwinism)
canonical: https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-node-c09-selection-variation-retention-universal-darwinism
---

# Node C09: Selection / Variation-Retention (Universal Darwinism)

C09 — Selection / Variation-Retention (Universal Darwinism)
{
  "id": "C09",
  "claim": "Where three conditions co-occur — variation, differential retention, and heredity — design accumulates without a designer; this algorithm applies beyond biology to brains, markets, and machine learning.",
  "domain": ["evolutionary biology", "immunology", "neuroscience", "economics", "cultural evolution", "machine_learning"],
  "pattern": ["selection", "replicator", "Universal_Darwinism", "blind_variation", "selective_retention"],
  "mechanism": "The Price equation partitions evolutionary change: Δz = Cov(w,z)/w + E(wΔz)/w. The first term is selection; the second is transmission bias. SGD in ML: parameters vary (random initialization + noise), are selected (gradient signal), and retained (weight update). Edelman's neural Darwinism: neuronal groups compete; those correlated with reward survive.",
  "scale": "molecular → civilization",
  "claim_tier": "T1 (biology) / T2 (culture, markets, ML)",
  "sources": [
    "Darwin, C. (1859). On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. John Murray.",
    "Wallace, A.R. (1858). 'On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely From the Original Type.' Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond.",
    "Price, G.R. (1970). 'Selection and Covariance.' Nature, 227, 520-521.",
    "Dawkins, R. (1976). The Selfish Gene. Oxford.",
    "Campbell, D.T. (1974). 'Evolutionary Epistemology.' In Schilpp (ed.), The Philosophy of Karl Popper.",
    "Edelman, G.M. (1987). Neural Darwinism: The Theory of Neuronal Group Selection. Basic Books."
  ],
  "dual": "Directed/Lamarckian design (intentional, foresighted) or pure genetic drift (no selection pressure).",
  "falsifier": "Cumulative adaptation observed with either (a) no variation in the population, or (b) no differential retention of variants, or (c) no heritability of the adaptive trait.",
  "rival_frame": "Selection is not a force — it is a statistical filter, a bookkeeping device. Calling it 'universal' is metaphorical extension, not mechanism. In markets and ML, the 'selection' is guided by gradient landscapes or human design; calling this 'Darwinian' strips the term of meaning. Campbell's evolutionary epistemology is post-hoc storytelling.",
  "independence_check": "HIGH. Darwin & Wallace (natural history, 1850s) arrived from biogeography and breeding experiments. Price (mathematics, 1970) derived the equation from covariance algebra with no biological training. Dawkins (ethology, 1976) re-derived selection at the gene level independently of population genetics tradition. Campbell (psychology, 1974) applied selection to knowledge formation independently of biology. Edelman (immunology → neuroscience, 1987) applied selection to brain development from immunological selection principles. Five independent derivations.",
  "pattern_type": "biological",
  "maps_to_axiom": ["A1", "A3"]
}

---

## Corpus map
- Same node, other planes: [Encyclopedia C09](/a/convergence-encyclopedia-c09) · [Inventory invariant](/a/oip-invariant-12-312-selection-variation-retention-universal-darwinism)
- Edges touching C09: [convergence edge 7](/a/oip-convergence-edge-7) · [disconfirming edge 1](/a/oip-disconfirming-edge-1)
- Catalogue hub: [Public Article](/a/oip-convergence-public-article) · [Schema](/a/oip-convergence-schema)
