Explanation
Justification
Pentadactyl limb
Bat pentadactyl limb
Evidence Example
Explanation
Justification
Analogous structure
The penguin and fish
Fish
See above
See above
Darwin's iconic phrase "survival of the fittest" in today's time can indeed take on a different meaning. Referring to humans in the
modern period that we live in "survival of the fittest" no longer refers to the smartest or strongest individuals but refers to those who
have the most amount of wealth. The idea of Economic Social Darwinism emerged from competition even dating back to the early
19th century where the survival of wealthiest can be seen. The emerging industrial middle class and bankers began to hold a higher
survival rate than those inferior to them. Darwin's Theory of natural selection has then been placed aside as fierce competition
between humans became present. The phrase "survival of the fittest" has now been coined as a slogan of economic competition for
individuals across the globe.
Evidence regarding "survival of the fittest" pertaining to the wealthy can be seen throughout history. Many believe that social status
and economic prosperity played an even bigger role regarding genetics than that of natural selection.Take the wealthy for example
they tend to reproduce less in modern times especially in the United States where the birth rate is declining but the survival rate is
especially high with those who are wealthy. Those who are still in poverty do in fact tend to reproduce more but do not necessarily
reproduce healthy offspring (possibly due to not providing a stable environment which the offspring can be healthy because of
financial situations) causes high infant death rates within the United States as with other countries. The wealthy are able to also buy
medicines and afford medical treatments that would have other wised killed them off in comparison to the impoverished. Those who
are wealthy are able to tend to their personal needs more effectively because of being financially stable. So in today's society "survival
of the fittest" in a way can still relate to being one of the more healthier individuals in a population, but truly if an individual would
want to be the healthiest they can possibly be it would ultimately get down to their economic status. Also by having them see whether
or not they could afford specialized medical treatments, modern medicines, or even to the simplest necessities like food which all
come down to critical elements that now drive the forces of life. All in all Darwin's initial theory of "survival of the fittest" has now
taken on a new meaning regarding economic competition.
Sources:
http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_2.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/18/how-wealth-trumped-natural-selection-and-changed-our-ancestors/.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-behind-the-high-rate-of-infant-deaths-in-the-us/