Jester Jester A jester, court jester, or fool, was historically an entertainer during the medieval and Renaissance eras who was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain him and his guests. A jester was also an itinerant performer who entertained common folk at fairs and markets. Jesters are also modern-day entertainers who resemble their historical counterparts. Jesters in medieval times are often thought to have worn brightly coloured clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern and their modern counterparts usually mimic this costume. Jesters entertained with a wide variety of skills: principal among
Court jester hypothesis Court jester hypothesis In evolutionary theory, the court-jester hypothesis contrasts the Red Queen hypothesis. University of California, Berkeley professor Anthony D. Barnosky coined the term in 1999 in reference to the idea that abiotic forces (including climate), rather than biotic competition between species, function as a major driving force behind the processes in evolution which produce speciation. The "Red Queen hypothesis" is a term coined by Leigh Van Valen, in 1973, in a reference to the Lewis Carroll book "Through the Looking Glass". It refers in evolution theory to the arms race of evolutionary developments and counter-developments that cause co-evolving