There has been some discussion about evolution and more recently about
the unthinking of politics/social/economic realms of thought. I would
like to post some ideas about evolution, in the way I think
institutions (as the rules of the game) evolve.
Evolution doesn't have to be teleological, except for the attempt to
surviving. A certain group evolves not to become something "better"
but to remain. Evolution is not the result of the willing of the group
but of the combination of the group and its environment. If the
environment changes, the probabilities of surviving for each member of
the group also change. Evolution, thus, is the result of the
environmental changes and the natural diversity of the group.
If we think of institutions as the mentioned group, evolution becomes
a very useful concept. Any rule (or set of rules) is confronted with
the environment of the group that defined it (let aside the creation
of institutions for a moment). As the environment changes, the rule
"evolves" since individual and group interpretations of the rule also
change. What we have is a rule that resembles the original one, but
has changed enough to be considered as different.
Now, if we introduce this concept of institutions as the rules of the
game, that once created evolve independently of the will of the
social group that created it, it is quite easier to unthink the
pol-eco-soc separation...
Comments?
Macario