It's very clear from the context - which you've omitted - that they meant the selection part rather than the mutation part: "random mutation is an important el

It's very clear from the context - which you've omitted - that they meant the selection part rather than the mutation part: "random mutation is an important element in evolution, but less important than the process of natural selection, which is not random at all" So their point is that random mutation occurs but is then filtered non-randomly, like a high-pass filter on noise. It's still a bit of an overstatement to say "not random at all" since there is obviously some (bad) luck in "fit" individuals dying or "unfit" individuals surviving. In the long-run though, you can see their point. They go on to make a ridiculous claim that because you are here, nothing random happened to your ancestors. I would say it's just one possible history, and perhaps everyone makes mistakes with randomness.