A Model of Runaway Evolution of Creative Domains

Creative domains such as art and music have distinct properties, not only in terms of the structure of the artefacts produced, but in terms of their cultural dynamics and relation to adaptive functions. A number of theories have examined the possibility of functionless cultural domains emerging through a runaway evolutionary process. This includes models in which engaging in creative domains is actually counterproductive at the individual level, but is sustained as a behaviour through an evolutionary mechanism. I present a multi-agent model that examines such an evolutionary mechanism, derived from these theories.