Definitions for survival of the fittest
sur·vival of the fittest

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.3 / 3 votes

1. survival, survival of the fittest, natural selection, selectionnoun

   a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment

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1. survival of the fittestnoun

   Natural selection.

2. Etymology: * Coined by philosopher Herbert Spencer in 1864.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Survival of the fittest

   "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, the phrase is best understood as "Survival of the form that will leave the most copies of itself in successive generations." Herbert Spencer first used the phrase, after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, in his Principles of Biology (1864), in which he drew parallels between his own economic theories and Darwin's biological ones: "This survival of the fittest, which I have here sought to express in mechanical terms, is that which Mr. Darwin has called 'natural selection', or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life."Darwin responded positively to Alfred Russel Wallace's suggestion of using Spencer's new phrase "survival of the fittest" as an alternative to "natural selection", and adopted the phrase in The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication published in 1868. In On the Origin of Species, he introduced the phrase in the fifth edition published in 1869, intending it to mean "better designed for an immediate, local environment".

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1. survival of the fittest

   Survival of the fittest is a concept in evolutionary theory that refers to the process whereby organisms that are best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. Those that are less suited to the environment fail to propagate their genes, resulting in the species becoming progressively better adapted to its surroundings over generations. This term is often associated with natural selection and has been used to describe the continuous evolutionary process of adaptation and species preservation.

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1. Survival of the fittest

   "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase originating in evolutionary theory, as an alternative description of natural selection. The phrase is today commonly used in contexts that are incompatible with the original meaning as intended by its first two proponents: British polymath philosopher Herbert Spencer and Charles Darwin. Herbert Spencer first used the phrase – after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species – in his Principles of Biology, in which he drew parallels between his own economic theories and Darwin's biological ones, writing, "This survival of the fittest, which I have here sought to express in mechanical terms, is that which Mr. Darwin has called 'natural selection', or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life." Darwin first used Spencer's new phrase "survival of the fittest" as a synonym for natural selection in the fifth edition of On the Origin of Species, published in 1869. Darwin meant it as a metaphor for "better adapted for immediate, local environment", not the common inference of "in the best physical shape". Hence, it is not a scientific description. The phrase "survival of the fittest" is not generally used by modern biologists as the term does not accurately convey the meaning of natural selection, the term biologists use and prefer. Natural selection refers to differential reproduction as a function of traits that have a genetic basis. "Survival of the fittest" is inaccurate for two important reasons. First, survival is merely a normal prerequisite to reproduction. Second, fitness has specialized meaning in biology different from how the word is used in popular culture. In population genetics, fitness refers to differential reproduction. "Fitness" does not refer to whether an individual is "physically fit" – bigger, faster or stronger – or "better" in any subjective sense. It refers to a difference in reproductive rate from one generation to the next.

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1. • Natural Process

How to pronounce survival of the fittest?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of survival of the fittest in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of survival of the fittest in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7