Some questions on evolution

[Esquilax]

If there is no drive towards complexity why are we not still one celled organisms? They are extrordinarily successful. Things don't change unless they have to. Why did we not stop at being insects? They are all over the planet and incredibly adaptable. It's quite incredible really that we have evolved arms and legs and brains to be able to manipulate our environment. I am not a creationist but it does look like evolution has an objective. I believe it is a question worth answering.

It might appear that things are growing more complex, but that's just depending on where you're looking. On a wide enough timescale, that's not necessarily true; whales evolved from land animals that are regaining old traits their ancestors had as aquatic beings, organisms shed functions and structures all the time... hell, even humans are losing bits; did you know our little toes are shrinking generation by generation, and may one day go entirely? Same with wisdom teeth and appendixes. To characterize the variation of life as a march toward complexity is to simply ignore large swathes of what's actually going on.

As to why things evolve to be more complex, that's simple; survival advantage. Being multicellular at least conferred an advantage at some point, and that is why. It's a lengthy subject to talk about, but that's the basic gist.