“Intelligence,” OUT OF NOTHINGNESS!

[max-greece]

Evolution, in the sense of descent with modification, is a non-random process whereby beneficial traits are selected for. This is why camels have third eyelids and elephants don't have thin legs and bird claws. In other words, evolutionary traits are manifestly NOT selected for randomly, any more than you would install a fuel injection system on a bird feeder, just because one happened to be available.

Mutation is indeed random, but mutation, in and of itself, is not evolution.

Boru

Maybe, but you will get a variety of adaptations to a new environment. And given two similar environments which are isolated from each other, you will very possibly get different adaptations (and species). Just because new phenotypes are better adapted doesn't mean they aren't also random.

Imagine that a group of early humans or prehumans was killed by an unfortunate event, rather than making a lucky escape. Totally random event, massive effect on evolution.

There is certainly plenty of randomness within the system. Random events throughout the earth's history have wiped out entire phyla. Mutations may or may not be entirely random.

There are certainly random mutations but are all mutations random? Rather, one might ask are the rates of mutation random?

I have a theory, based entirely on thin air at the moment, that a species facing environmental change and therefore under stress may prove to be more likely to experience mutation that one that is happily settled in its niche in its environment.

This might explain why some groups have experienced little dramatic change over hundreds of millions of years (crocodilians for example) whilst others (e.g. Whales) have undergone mind-blowing adaptation.

Just a thought....