In this paper we address the hard problem of search. Search is a pervasive phenomenon of biological and economic life. But search is hard—especially in uncertain and dynamic environments. We develop a generalized form of question-answer probing as a way of simplifying search, with implications...

Using the theory of the adjacent possible (TAP), we describe a recombination process, agent epistemology, and the contours of rationality under creative evolution. In so doing, we rederive Hayek's results about local knowledge, reinforce the salience of heuristics over traditional rational...