• Bady@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    “Survival of the fittest” (when used without trying to understand its actual meaning).

      • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        This is from Darwin, I think. It describes the mechanism of selection in evolution: the organisms that are better adapted to their environments are the ones more likely to survive.

        Bady likely hates it because it’s often misused, by transforming it in a prescriptive statement (from “the fittest survives” to "the fittest deserves to survive) and/or ignoring that what’s considered the fittest depends on the environment (e.g. a fish isn’t fit in a dry environment, but a cactus isn’t fit in the sea).

          • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Social “Darwinism” relies on the fallacy that I mentioned, where you treat a descriptive statement as if it was prescriptive. (And yes, it’s nasty.)

      • irmoz@reddthat.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Fittest means most suited to the environmwnt, not necessarily strongest, fastest, smartest etc