Final answer:
Evolution via natural selection is neither intentional nor forward thinking. It is an unguided process by which organisms better suited to their environment tend to have greater reproductive success, leading to changes in the population's genetic makeup over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evolution via natural selection is neither intentional nor forward thinking. It is a process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. This concept, known as natural selection, acts on the phenotypic variations in populations. However, it is crucial to understand that this process does not have a goal or direction. Evolution is the change in the genetic composition of a population over time and it includes other mechanisms like genetic drift and gene flow that could introduce disadvantageous alleles into the population.
Adaptations occur as a result of the interaction between the genetic variance within a population and the environmental pressures. These adaptations enhance survival and reproductive success, but they do not imply any foresight or intentionality behind the changes. In the larger sense, evolution does not make species 'better', it merely allows for a match between the organisms and their environments, which are themselves in flux.