The Extended Phenotype of Artificial Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis of Model Collapse and the Anthropic Settlement as Cognitive Selection Pressure
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866901184298614784 |
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| author | LERER, Ignacio Adrian |
| author_facet | LERER, Ignacio Adrian |
| contents | <p><span>Background:</span> Legal theory often assumes legislators consciously design laws <span>to</span> solve social problems. Drawing <span>on</span> Dawkins<span>' (1982) concept of the extended phenotype, this paper challenges the Lamarckian assumption in legal scholarship and proposes a Darwinian framework: legislators function primarily as vehicles for replicating pre-existing legal "memes" whose survival depends on environmental fitness.</span></p> <p>Methods/Approach: The analysis combines: (<span>1</span>) Autobiographical <span>case</span> study—Argentina<span>'s 1981-1987 mortgage crisis, observed firsthand across three generational responses (1981-87, 2001-03, 2016-2024); (2) Comparative historical analysis of legislative responses to similar crises; (3) Theoretical synthesis integrating Dawkins' extended phenotype concept with Dennett's memetic theory.</span></p> <p><span>Findings:</span> The study demonstrates that legislators predominantly reproduce legal memes exhibiting higher fitness <span>in</span> their institutional environments rather than generating novel solutions. Over three generations, Argentine mortgage crisis legislation evolved <span>from</span> judicial paralysis (<span>1980s</span>) through emergency interventions (<span>2000s</span>) <span>to</span> preventive mechanisms (<span>2020s</span>), <span>with</span> <span>each</span> iteration reflecting memetic selection pressures rather than conscious design. The fitness landscape gradually shifted toward equilibrium between creditor <span>and</span> debtor interests.</p> <p><span>Implications:</span> Legal convergence across jurisdictions may occur through memetic selection rather than intentional coordination. Understanding legislators <span>as</span> extended phenotypes <span>of</span> legal memes suggests that effective legal reform requires memetic literacy—recognizing which conceptual structures possess environmental fitness rather than assuming normative superiority determines adoption.</p> <p>Original Contribution: Introduces the <span>"legislator as extended phenotype"</span> model <span>to</span> legal theory, supported <span>by</span> longitudinal empirical illustration <span>of</span> memetic evolution across three crisis generations.</p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_18567734 |
| institution | Zenodo |
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| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
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| spellingShingle | The Extended Phenotype of Artificial Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis of Model Collapse and the Anthropic Settlement as Cognitive Selection Pressure LERER, Ignacio Adrian legal evolution; extended phenotype; memetics philosophy of law; cultural evolution; Argentina <p><span>Background:</span> Legal theory often assumes legislators consciously design laws <span>to</span> solve social problems. Drawing <span>on</span> Dawkins<span>' (1982) concept of the extended phenotype, this paper challenges the Lamarckian assumption in legal scholarship and proposes a Darwinian framework: legislators function primarily as vehicles for replicating pre-existing legal "memes" whose survival depends on environmental fitness.</span></p> <p>Methods/Approach: The analysis combines: (<span>1</span>) Autobiographical <span>case</span> study—Argentina<span>'s 1981-1987 mortgage crisis, observed firsthand across three generational responses (1981-87, 2001-03, 2016-2024); (2) Comparative historical analysis of legislative responses to similar crises; (3) Theoretical synthesis integrating Dawkins' extended phenotype concept with Dennett's memetic theory.</span></p> <p><span>Findings:</span> The study demonstrates that legislators predominantly reproduce legal memes exhibiting higher fitness <span>in</span> their institutional environments rather than generating novel solutions. Over three generations, Argentine mortgage crisis legislation evolved <span>from</span> judicial paralysis (<span>1980s</span>) through emergency interventions (<span>2000s</span>) <span>to</span> preventive mechanisms (<span>2020s</span>), <span>with</span> <span>each</span> iteration reflecting memetic selection pressures rather than conscious design. The fitness landscape gradually shifted toward equilibrium between creditor <span>and</span> debtor interests.</p> <p><span>Implications:</span> Legal convergence across jurisdictions may occur through memetic selection rather than intentional coordination. Understanding legislators <span>as</span> extended phenotypes <span>of</span> legal memes suggests that effective legal reform requires memetic literacy—recognizing which conceptual structures possess environmental fitness rather than assuming normative superiority determines adoption.</p> <p>Original Contribution: Introduces the <span>"legislator as extended phenotype"</span> model <span>to</span> legal theory, supported <span>by</span> longitudinal empirical illustration <span>of</span> memetic evolution across three crisis generations.</p> |
| title | The Extended Phenotype of Artificial Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis of Model Collapse and the Anthropic Settlement as Cognitive Selection Pressure |
| topic | legal evolution; extended phenotype; memetics philosophy of law; cultural evolution; Argentina |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18567734 |