The Fallacy of the Red Queen's Race

Red Queen’s race – running faster and faster just to keep even with other competitors.

Running faster and faster to keep pace only works as a metaphor when the track remains a constant. Change tracks and some creatures will pull up lame while others race ahead. When the environment alters, so do advantages and disadvantages. Gradual improvement by increments pays uncertain dividends when the world gets a little topsy turvy. Yet uncertainty is a risk with an undertermined reward. Staying the same is a known state and one optimized for the current climate but future iterations might have a better chance when the world shifts. That chance might be worth the risk. Getting better, then, at what you do is a goal in and of itself. Especially when dealing with a creature that can change the world by changing itself.