The evolutionary dynamics of expectations: Interactions among codes in inter-human communications.

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Cultural Evolution
• Information Theory

Background:

• Social interactions are governed by mutual expectations (double contingency).
• Cultural selection differs from natural selection; it's not hard-wired but evolves.
• Meaning is derived from hindsight, referencing future expectations (horizons of meaning).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the micro-operations of social logic in expectation formation.
• To analyze cultural selection mechanisms as evolving communication codes.
• To investigate how these mechanisms generate redundancies and new options against time's arrow.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of double contingency as a social logic operator.
• Application of information theory and anticipatory systems theory.
• Examination of communication codes as cultural 'genotypes' influencing selection.

Main Results:

• Cultural evolution relies on communication codes acting as selection mechanisms.
• Expectation orders can operate recursively, generating overlapping meanings and new possibilities.
• Interactions among codes create synergistic effects, leading to wealth generation.

Conclusions:

• Double contingency is a fundamental social mechanism driving cultural evolution.
• Cultural selection, unlike natural selection, is dynamic and emergent.
• Understanding these processes can unlock wealth creation in knowledge-based economies.