Claim CF011.1:

Dawkins (1986) demonstrated a program that starts with a random string of letters and, via random copying errors, evolves it into the phrase "Methinks it is like a weasel" in just a few generations, demonstrating the power of natural selection unaided by intelligence. But intelligence is involved in predetermining the target sentence.

Source:

Response:

1. Dawkins's simulation was plainly stated in his book to demonstrate selection, not evolution. It was intended to show the difference between cumulative selection and single-step selection. Attempts to apply Dawkins's simulation to evolution as a whole are a misreading of his book.
   
   
2. Other evolution simulations do demonstrate all the salient features of evolution (Lenski et al. 2003). They do include a fitness function, but simulating fitness is part of simulating evolution.

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