Darwin did not say survival of the fittest.

It is time to retire ‘survival of the fittest’, a phrase that has largely been misunderstood and used to warp the true meaning behind Darwin’s original theory of natural selection and evolution. Survival of the fittest was not even a phrase originally coined by Charles Darwin (1); he only adopted it and used it in later versions of Origin of Species, after he pandered to a constant pressure and criticism that the term natural selection was too confusing (2).

Survival of the fittest was first coined by Darwin’s contemporary Herbert Spencer (3). Herbert Spencer was a philosopher, a sociologist and a scientist. He felt that the theories of evolution and natural selection could and should be applied to society as well. People who were poorer for example, mentally retarded, or seen as inferior by the so-called “elite,” were not as fit, and thus evolutionarily speaking should be weeded out. Herbert Spencer’s racist, elitist views helped the creation Social Darwinism, the view that only people that were special, educated, well-off should evolve to the next stage, and thus no one else should be helped because it would be going against evolution.

Survival of the fittest in the sense of Charles Darwin’s natural selection, however, does not mean the strongest will survive, nor does it mean the smartest, nor the one with the most power. None of this matter as it applies to natural selection. The “fittest” animal in a society (this includes humans) are the ones that express a certain trait in a society that provides a slight advantage of survival in a specific environment, which passed on to their offspring. Very slowly, over time, through the birth and death of countless generations, these small changes will lead to a bigger changes or evolution of the species.

The only real difference between humans and animals is that we understand the concept of evolution, which allows us to manipulate things. For example, through selective inbreeding, we were able to control natural selection and create over hundred breeds of dogs, from the wolf. Historically, many vile men with power have also attempted to cull the human race in their own image through selective destruction such as the horrendous mass genocide of the Jewish population during the holocaust. Unfortunately, until we take hate, ego, and our quest for power, and begin acting in harmony we can’t truly begin to evolve as everyone wishes us to evolve, not strictly in a biological sense but also a spiritual sense as well.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origin_of_Species

(3) http://www2.truman.edu/~rgraber/cultev/spencer.html

(4) http://www.ioa.com/~shermis/socjus/socdar.html