Hi Jason, If I may overlay your Models from the lenses of an investor, it may sound something like this: the Mechanical Model is one who is more left brain dominant, relying on numbers, fundamental analysis and research reports for investment decisions. The Evolutionary Model is liken to one more right brain dominant, seeking out historical patterns in charts and places importance of seasonal factors. One that is able to DISCERN (like you said) when to use what and how much of it, may just be the winning edge of an investor or investment manager. Wai-Yee Chen, NeuroInvesting