It may be easier to think of evolution as the force, and game theory strongly influencing the fitness test. Those who play the games of mating and predator/prey more optimally reproduce more. We descend from billions of generations of the winners.
reply> and game theory strongly influencing the fitness test
replyDoes it? I don't think reproduction is very influenced by game theory.
Biologist John Maynard Smith disagreed. Here he is talking about evolutionary game theory.
replyWe don't descend from winners, we descend from whoever survived and it's not an individual competition.
replyIf the only place a particularly beneficial mutation appears is wiped out by chance volcanic eruption, that's just how it is - the survivors who weren't near the volcano go on to reproduce.
In evolution the winners are the ones who survive to reproduce, and that includes 100% of our ancestors.
replyThe cultural ramifications of choosing one word over another are significant though. "Winner" is a loaded term.
reply> In evolution the survivors reproduced, and that includes 100% of our ancestors.
The context is game theory. Games have winners and losers.
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