[sgt101]

No, I don't think so. I think that evolution is a complex system in the sense that it creates feedback loops altering the fitness landscapes it optimizes over. Organisms interact with each other through competition and predation and with their environment, for example by liberating oxygen from water. If evolution were about optimization then the current set of organisms would be "fitter" compared with dinosaurs (for example). I don't fancy my chances vs. a T.Rex, more to the point I don't fancy anything that is around at the moment's chances v. a T.Rex!

[aswanson]

But the T.Rex was a local maxima. I don't fancy a T. Rexes chance against humankind with the technology, intelligence and group organization we have. The T.Rex was optimized for physical force, but that proved useless against asteroids. Humans would have a chance against that type of threat.