Earlier quoted context omitted.
If the programmer specifies the boundaries (laws) of his own universe, then the evolutionary processes that happen within his own universe are not representative of the actual universe which he claims to be modeling. Why? 1) Current scientific claims express that the laws and boundaries of the universe came into existence without a designer. Having a designer anywhere in the equation is unacceptable, even one who sim…
The point of genetic algorithms is NOT to replicate evolution. Like you mention, evolution has no end goal whereas engineers usually have very explicit end goals. (Other problems include time constraints and computing power!) The point of genetic algorithms is to exploit the principle of natural selection under very specific constraints and explicitly constructed utility functions that are likely to lead to a better…
It's pretty clear one model has a designer and the other does not, and you certainly agree that the existence of a designer is more than just a small issue when dealing with the validity of evolutionary "models". =)