**Adaptive** simply means "fit for the environment". A cactus is adaptive for the desert, so is a camel. A polar bear is adaptive for the Arctic. Due to evolution, most behaviors of most agents will be adaptive to the environment they're in. Specifically for humans, the [[Environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA)]] is so different than our current environment that some of our behaviors are **malapdative** (e.g. wanting to eat chocolate at all time). Adaptiveness can also be applied to behavior in societies, companies or in the market. The people, employees, and companies that are most successful are the ones that exhibit adaptive behavior. Adaptive behaviors are not designed by an intelligent being. They're made by a [blind watchmaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blind_Watchmaker). #published 2025-02-28