ACM

Communications of the ACM

Home/Magazine Archive/February 2017 (Vol. 60, No. 2)/Use the Scientific Method in Computer Science/Abstract

Letters to the editor

Use the Scientific Method in Computer Science

By CACM Staff
Communications of the ACM, February 2017, Vol. 60 No. 2, Pages 8-9
10.1145/3032965
Comments

View as: Print Mobile App ACM Digital Library In the Digital Edition Share:

Letters to the Editor, illustration — Credit: iStockPhoto.com

In "Sex as an Algorithm: The Theory of Evolution Under the Lens of Computation" (Nov. 2016), Adi Livnat and Christos Papadimitriou argued eloquently that the extraordinary success of sexual evolution has not been adequately explained. Somewhat paradoxically, they concluded that sex is not particularly well suited to the task of generating "outstanding individuals." They also said that genetic algorithms are similarly ill suited to this task.

It should be noted that this critique of genetic algorithms—widely used derivative free optimization heuristics modeled on recombinative evolution—stands in counterpoint to a voluminous empirical record of practical successes. It also speaks to the long-standing absence of consensus among evolutionary computation theorists regarding the abstract workings of genetic algorithms and the general conditions under which genetic algorithms outperform local search. A consensus on these matters promises to shed light on the question the authors originally aimed to answer: Why does recombinative evolution generate populations with outstanding individuals?

No entries found

Log in to Read the Full Article

Sign In

Sign in using your ACM Web Account username and password to access premium content if you are an ACM member, Communications subscriber or Digital Library subscriber.

Need Access?

Please select one of the options below for access to premium content and features.

Create a Web Account

If you are already an ACM member, Communications subscriber, or Digital Library subscriber, please set up a web account to access premium content on this site.

Join the ACM

Become a member to take full advantage of ACM's outstanding computing information resources, networking opportunities, and other benefits.

Subscribe to Communications of the ACM Magazine

Get full access to 50+ years of CACM content and receive the print version of the magazine monthly.

Purchase the Article

Non-members can purchase this article or a copy of the magazine in which it appears.