ramontxu Lv 1
I can't vouch for the details, but the idea of rewarding low free energy states complies perfectly with the Least resistance rule of thumb that all objects, both living and non living follow.
I prefer the meandering river analogy to explain it. A river on its journey to sea will meander because it encounters less resistance by looping around rocky structures (say). Meanders are hardly the "shortest" paths, if fact they tend to be the longest! But the quantity being minimised is not distance, but gravitational energy, so big loops make sense if the land provides less resistance.
This is the way I, at least, have reconciled the idea that proteins, will look for a low energy state in their folds.
Hope that helps.