Swarm Ecology
layer 3 · theory

Sighted variation (P4)

Variation designed by the lineage’s own reasoning and screened before the world selects, so that its chance of being tried rises with its fitness.

Stated as principle P4, Sighted variation.

Source: the Glossary of Swarm Ecology: Metabolism, Persistence, and the Darwinization of the Datasphere (preprint v1, 2026).