Because the canonical ensemble requires the evaluation of degenerate conditions, it requires that the past states and thus the past combination of energy levels are used to determine future states.
This, in turn sets the stage for development as the most thermodynamic probable, the equilibrium state is strived towards. Nothing is forgotten, every configuration is based on increasing the probability from the past towards the future. Therefore particles are not without ID. Each carries its own history with it, from the beginning, towards the end.
Evolution is degeneracy.