Experiences in Teaching Scientific Writing in the U.S.A.

The origin and intended meaning of the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ are discussed. The development of the concept of ‘fitness’ in a neo-Darwinian sense is traced, and the use of the term in other contexts is outlined. The treatment of ‘fitness’ in various popular biology texts is considered, and some suggestions about the use of the term in schools are made.

The relationship of interpretations of ‘fitness’ to a broader understanding of evolutionary mechanisms is stressed throughout.