# Evolution

> If you want to make a living flower, you don't build it - you grow it from the seed. Christopher Alexander.

- Evolution is a behavior that emerges in any system that has:
  1. Mutation
  2. Heredity
  3. Selection
- Evolutionary systems often generate unexpected solutions. [Nature selects for good enough](http://gordonbrander.com/pattern/evolution/). It affects almost everything (life, [[ideas]], communities, [[systems]], ...).
  - Nature ended up: resilient to disturbances, [[Decentralized Protocols|decentralized]], redundant, diverse, and self-healing.
- Every [[culture]] is the gradual accumulation of useful environmental adaptations combined with random memetic drift.
- [[Systems]] that evolve organically are usually, [but not always](https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/16/book-review-seeing-like-a-state/), well-adapted to their purpose. Cultures, ancient traditions, and long-lasting institutions contain irreplaceable wisdom that's hard to pin down if you're designing them from scratch.