Dawkins' Weasel

Dawkins' Weasel is a thought experiment demonstrating how natural selection can efficiently produce complex features. It imagines a computer program that starts with random characters and strives to match a target phrase, like "METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL." Initially, it produces random strings, but with each iteration, it keeps the closest matches, gradually refining toward the target. This illustrates that natural selection, selecting for small improvements over generations, is much more effective than random chance alone. The concept highlights how cumulative small changes can lead to complex, well-adapted outcomes in evolution.