Moving the goalposts

Biological Parallel

Red Queen dynamics formalize moving goalposts: prey evolve faster running, predators evolve faster pursuit, defining 'fast enough' becomes impossible because the standard continuously shifts. Rough-skinned newts produce tetrodotoxin that would kill most predators; garter snakes evolved resistance, then newts evolved higher toxin doses, then snakes evolved greater resistance. Each adaptation moves the goalpost for the opponent. Unlike logical fallacies, biological arms races acknowledge that fitness criteria are relational, not absolute—the target is supposed to move.