Nature has two advantages over the human intellect. First, it is blind. When cosmic radiation spurs mutation in DNA, it is utterly random and purposeless. This makes it very inefficient at producing improvements and valuable designs, but it also makes it entirely free from prejudice. Secondly, evolution has been operating for billions of years and across the face of the entire planet, encompassing fathomless myriads of organisms. It is so extensive and expansive, that, like the proverbial million monkeys on typewriters, it has been mathematically guaranteed to produce works of genius.

Some designs, such as eyes for vision, are so universally valuable that they have independently appeared in different times and places dozens of times or more. Eyes are very complex and unlikely to result from random mutations, but any time cells responsive to light do appear, they tend to confer a considerable boon on the organism bearing them.

Species in ecosystems, like businesses in a free market, are constantly subjected to the honing effects of competition. Over great periods of time, the continuously compounded effects are staggering. For these reasons, the natural world is stacked with a cornucopia of brilliant engineering and design. Many of humanity’s inventions and technological refinements have been imitations of nature, or at least have been inspired by natural observations.

The value and utility of camouflage clothing shouldn’t surprise anyone, given these considerations. Camouflage is ubiquitous in nature. Understanding the rationale for the appearance, or at least the coloring, of an organism almost always means understanding how it blends into its environment. This is so widely generalized that the few exceptions, such as the tail feathers of the male peacock, are arresting, almost shocking to behold.

Camouflage clothing is highly beneficial to anyone involved in any kind of conflict, whether serious or sporting. Animals of every role and description can benefit from being difficult to detect. Prey, obviously, need to avoid detection from predators, but hunters also need to stay hidden while they stalk their prey. Likewise in war, soldiers on the offensive or defensive are wise to remain unobtrusive whenever possible.

The Art of War advises a tactical army to appear to be many when it is few, and to appear to be few when it is many. Camouflage clothing is part of a broader rule that misinformation is beneficial to propagate and bad to receive. In history, wars are won not just with bullets, soldiers, and tanks, but equally with intelligence, cryptology, and intrigue.

Today, camouflage clothing is widely used in sports such as hunting and paintball. If anything, modern technology makes camouflage clothing more crucial today than ever before. If swords are the prevailing weapon, martial contests are usually settled face to face. Ninjas are a notable, but far from unique, exception. With modern weapons such as guns, however, being difficult to spot from a distance very often is a matter of life or death. Or, in the case of hunting and paintball, a matter of victory or defeat.

Camouflage clothing is not something that one either does or does not possess. Instead, it can be plotted on a smooth continuum. In most environments, bright orange is the opposite. Unobtrusive colors such as the stereotypical greens and browns in a forest setting can be extremely helpful. Even more effective camouflage clothing certainly also exists, however. Some of the best varieties include the texture of the environment, such as leafy brush. These correspond to the awesome camouflage of the walking stick and chameleon in nature.