Survival of the Fittest
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[edit] Definition
The phrase "survival of the fittest" is an inaccurate paraphrase of the concept of natural selection.
[edit] History
Contrary to popular belief, the phrase "survival of the fittest" did not originate with Darwin, but with the eminent Victorian crackpot Herbert Spencer[1].
Although, in our opinion, it is thoroughly misleading, it can still, regrettably, be found in modern school curricula.
[edit] Discussion
"Survival of the fittest" is an inaccurate phrase because natural selection depends not on survival (indeed, death is the fate of every individual organism) but of differential reproductive success.
A superlative example of the difference is provided by the male praying mantis, which is eaten by his mate during coitus. A trait for steering clear of female praying mantises would certainly be a survival trait, but it would not be passed on to future generations. Again, the peacock's brightly colored tail can surely only increase his visibility to potential predators, threatening his survival. However, he needs the tail to attract a mate: genes for a drabber tail would contribute to the survival of the individual, but would decrease his chances of passing on those genes. The behavior of the bee sacrificing herself for the hive makes no sense in terms of her individual survival, but makes sense in terms of the reproduction of her genes, an activity performed for her by the hive queen she dies to defend. Nature is filled with such examples, all of which must be incomprehensible to someone who thinks of evolution in terms of "survival of the fittest".
Natural selection does, of course, also select for traits for individual survival, because it is necessary to survive in order to further the reproduction of one's genes. But the be-all-and-end-all of natural selection is not survival as such, but the successful reproduction of genes. Indeed, if we used the phrase "survival of the fittest" to refer, not to individuals, but to genetic information, that would be very close to the mark.
[edit] Creationist arguments
The phrase "survival of the fittest" is almost invariably used by creationists when they should say "natural selection".
By asserting that the key concept of evolution is "survival of the fittest", rather than explaining the actual law of natural selection, creationists render such examples as those given above of the mantis, the peacock, and the bee thoroughly inexplicable by the Theory of Evolution as misrepresented by them. This is a strawman argument, but probably not a deliberate one.
