. Synthetic ethology is proposed as a means of conducting controlled experiments investigating the mechanisms and evolution of communication. After a discussion of the goals and methods of synthetic ethology, two series of experiments are described based on at least 5000 breeding cycles. The first demonstrates the evolution of cooperative communication in a population of simple machines. The average fitness of the population and the organization of its use of signals are compared under three conditions: communication suppressed, communication permitted, and communication permitted in the presence of learning. Where communication is permitted the fitness increases about 26 times faster than when communication is suppressed; with communication and learning the rate of fitness increase is about 100 fold. The second series of experiments illustrates the evolution of a syntactically simple language, in which a pair of signals is required for effective communication. Keywords: artificial lif...

Evolutionary simulation modelling is presented as a methodology involving the application of modelling techniques developed within the artificial sciences to evolutionary problems. Although modelling work employing this methodology has a long and interesting history, it has remained, until recently, a relatively underdeveloped practice, lacking a unifying theoretical framework.

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Introduction: Going Beyond Primates People often wonder if some nonhuman animal beings (hereafter animals) have codes of social conduct that regulate their behaviour in terms of what is permissible and what is not permissible during social encounters. In a recent issue of this journal (Volume 7, No. 1--2, 2000), researchers from many disciplines debated the evolutionary origins of morality. Essentially, they were interested in discussing animal roots on which human morality might be built, even if it is not identical to animal morality. Charles Darwin's (1859; 1872/1998) ideas about evolutionary continuity, namely that behavioural, cognitive, and emotional variations among different species are differences in degree rather than difference in kind, are often invoked in such exercises. Evolutionary reconstructions of social behaviour often depend on educated guesses (some good and some not so good) about the past social (and other) environments i

Purpose- In this paper we propose an experiential learning framework for understanding how play can potentially create a unique ludic learning space conducive to deep learning. Design/methodology/approach- The framework is developed by integrating two perspectives. First, we draw from multidisciplinary theories of play to uncover the underlying play principles that contribute to the emergence of the ludic learning space. Then, we examine the formation of a ludic learning space through a case study of a pickup softball league where for fifteen years, a group of individuals diverse in age group, gender, level of education, and ethnic background have come together to play. Findings – The case study suggests that play in a ludic learning space can promote deep learning in the intellectual, physical, spiritual, and moral realms. Originality/value- This paper uses the play literature to inform the experiential learning concept of the learning space.