Survival of the fittest
Survival of the fittest was a phrase originally used by Herbert Spencer in his 1851 work Social Statics. It was later used in The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin's revolutionary 1859 book on evolution, as a synonym for natural selection . At this time the word "fittest" would have primarily meant "most suitable" or "most appropriate" rather than "in the best physical shape".
In the original edition of The Origin of Species, Darwin used the phrase natural selection.
In modern times, however, the phrase is widely used as a catchphrase for any topic related or analogous to evolution and natural selection. It has thus been applied to principles of unrestrained competition, and it has been used extensively by both proponents and opponents of Social Darwinism.
Many evolutionary biologists criticize how the term is used by non-scientists and the connotations that have grown around the term in pop culture. The phrase also fails to convey the complex nature of natural selection and modern biologists prefer and almost exclusively use the term natural selection in preference.
