Evolveerden

Evolveerden is a coined term used chiefly in Dutch-language speculative biology, philosophy of science, and science fiction to describe a hypothetical mode of evolution in which the rules governing evolution themselves become variable and subject to modification. It functions as both a process and a concept, rather than a description of established natural phenomena.

The term is a neologism formed from evolution-related roots and is treated in fiction and theory as a speculative possibility. It is not an established term in mainstream biology, but rather a framework used to explore how evolvability might itself evolve or be redesigned.

In evolveerden, organisms or systems can alter their developmental rules, such as genetic coding, developmental programs, or informational architectures, enabling self-directed and iterative adaptation. Mechanisms described include modularity of information, programmable genomes, and feedback from performance to rule selection, with selection pressures acting on rules as well as phenotypes. Domains include biological, digital, and hybrid systems where rule-sets can be modified in response to environmental or internal signals.

History and usage are concentrated in Dutch speculative fiction and online discourse, where evolveerden has appeared since the late 20th and early 21st centuries as a thought experiment about future evolvability. It is often used to imagine self-modifying lineages or software organisms that rewrite their own rules, serving as a tool for discussion rather than a proven mechanism.

See also: evolvability, open-ended evolution, artificial life, self-modifying systems.