Recapitulation & more “meta”.

Equalization, or simple entropic averaging, forms continuous patterns by increasing similarity between interacting objects, at the expense of decreasing similarity within each (variation drift to smaller scales).
Reproduction increases core/environment differentiation by selectively replicating internally differentiated genotype pattern, & by introducing externally differentiated adaptive phenotype which collects the "constituents" for such replication. The "ecosystem" for reproduction must be non-random: "stabilized" by prior entropic equilibration.
Correspondence maximization further differentiates a core from environment. Only the quantity of an input is represented: the sensors "modulate" internal "memory" into a quantitative equivalent of an external impact, with minimal incorporation of the constituents. Moreover, only the match among inputs is maximized, by "selecting" only their projected coordinates, not the inputs themselves. The conserved core here is predictive correspondence, patterns & algorithms themselves are adaptively "metabolized" to maximize it. The "ecosystem" for representations, such as brain, develops by previous reproduction of functionally equivalent memory & recognition processing "cells".

A higher-phase core "exploits" the lower-phase ones within its adaptive phenotype. This competition among core types is not obvious: life accelerates the growth of entropy, & cognition requires increasing numbers of "reproduced" memory & processor cells. But internal & external differentiation of a genotype "disrupts" S-T continuity (entropy) by increasing specialization & metabolism. And predictive correspondence of a cognitive system is maximized by accelerated "pattern metabolism" in memory, reducing stability of representations. Memory & processor cells don't have to be physically identical, only functionally equivalent, & technical progress accelerates the turnover of computational substrates. In other words, fitness of a more-abstract core comes at the cost of less stable specifics in its adaptive hierarchy, increasing the disparity in recurrence between a core & its environment.

A more abstract core requires & enables more functionally differentiated adaptive hierarchy, which is correspondingly resource-intensive. Metaevolution is a universal, rather than local, trend only if the best more complex systems are a more efficient than the best less complex ones. That seems plausible because specialized instruments produced by functional differentiation are intrinsically more efficient than multi-purpose ones. But this efficiency is realized only in correspondingly diverse environments, with enough targets for such specialization. Such diversity is increased by functional differentiation:
a) larger systems form a new level of ecosystem, b) their resources enable greater range of winner-takes-all competition, & effective diversity is likely to grow with the range. So, differentiation drives a self-reinforcing cycle, providing a competitive advantage for still more differentiated systems.

There are lower forms of recurrence than classical entropy, & higher than cognitive representation:
- Quantum probability should be lower than entropy: matter/energy conservation & resulting entropic equalization stops on the scale of quantum effects. So, the recurrence maximized by classical entropy is not really continuous, not nearly as much as the distribution of probability within a quantum wave. In fact, there can be no ultimate beginning for metaevolution, - perfect randomness is inconceivable.
- Mathematical compression, derived by deduction, is more abstract than cognitive modulated correspondence. Math is a body of computational short-cuts, which are not representative of reality per se, but are universally instrumental for discovering predictive representations. Beyond known math, there must be indefinite number of potentially instrumental meta-representative layers.

Meta evolution as proposed here is a process of selective abstraction & spatio-temporal stabilization of mutual correspondence within any “ecosystem”. Ladies & Gentlemen, the meaning of life, universe, & everything: increasing recurrence of relatively shrinking conserved cores.