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.
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.
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.
References:
Dawkins, Richard, 1986. The Blind Watchmaker. New York: Norton.
