Evolution is "change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations" (Wikipedia). For posts about machine learning look here.
See also: Biology, Evolutionary Psychology, Game Theory
The sequence, The Simple Math of Evolution provides a good introduction to LessWrong thinking about evolution.
1. Many issues pertinent to rationality seem to have their roots in evolutionary psychology. For example, why do so many people state that they wish to alleviate suffering equally among all people, and then donate money to charities supporting people with conditions they have, rather than highly-effective suffering reducers?
As Eliezer would have it, "Politics was a feature of the ancestral environment. We are descended from those who argued most persuasively that the good of the tribe meant executing their hated rival Uglak. (We sure ain't descended from Uglak.)"
2. Illustrates many common errors in thinking about complex problems, such as seeing agency in non-agent systems
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