Illuminating The Three Dogmas Of Reinforcement Learning Under Evolutionary Light

Abstract

Three core tenets of reinforcement learning (RL)--concerning the definition of agency, the objective of learning, and the scope of the reward hypothesis--have been highlighted as key targets for conceptual revision, with major implications for theory and application. We propose a framework, inspired by open-ended evolutionary theory, to reconsider these three "dogmas." We revisit each assumption and address related concerns raised alongside them. To make our arguments relevant to RL as a model of biological learning, we first establish that evolutionary dynamics can plausibly operate within living brains over an individual's lifetime, and are not confined to cross-generational processes. We begin by revisiting the second dogma, drawing on evolutionary insights to enrich the "adaptation-rather-than-search" view of learning. We then address the third dogma regarding the limits of the reward hypothesis, using analogies from evolutionary fitness to illuminate the scalar reward vs. multi-ob

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