[Doctor Stochastic]

"Fittest" is an output, not an input.

Evolutionary Observation 1: Offspring differ from parents.
Evolutionary Observation 2: Scion quantity varies.

Observation 1 happens due to mutations (and recombinations.) This was Darwin's big point. Lamarck had it differently.

Observation 2 happens due to either either "better equipment" or just luck.

[RightWingNilla]

"Fittest" is an output, not an input.

I avoided using that word since too many on the C side associate it with a tautology (falsely of course).

I thought it was perhaps it is easier to imagine a competition between individual self-replicating entities.