Survival of the Fittest
How accommodating are we?
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To encourage us to consider our future in relation to the evolutionary theory of ‘survival of the fittest’.
Preparation and materials
- Note: the author found God Unbound, Theology in the Wild by Brian McLaren (Canterbury Press, 2019) to be of great help in understanding Darwin’s theories.
Assembly
- Ask the students, ‘Who is the fittest here today? Who is open to the push-ups challenge?’
Choose three or four students to perform a series of push-ups. The winner can be the one who completes the most push-ups or the one who completes 20 in the shortest time. - Congratulate all of the competitors and particularly the winner. Point out that they appear to be the fittest, strongest, toughest student here today!
- The scientist Charles Darwin is famous for his theory of evolution, which he explained in his book On the Origin of Species. An important element of his theory is often summarized by the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’. However, this could be dangerous and lead to misinterpretation.
Superficially, the phrase appears to mean that the creatures most likely to survive into the future are the strongest, the toughest, the most aggressive, the most intelligent and crafty, maybe even the best-looking. When applied to people, the theory appears to imply that (insert the name of the student who won the push-ups challenge earlier) is the most likely one of us here to make a success of life.
‘Survival of the fittest’ appears to imply that our future depends on showing ourselves as forceful, dynamic and ready to dominate. To survive, we must defeat the competition. - However, that’s not what Darwin meant at all.
Words have a habit of changing their meaning over time. They evolve. So it is with the word ‘fitness’. To us, it implies physical prowess: a healthy, well-toned body. To Darwin, though, ‘fitness’ meant something that fits in well with the environment where it’s found. The fittest people are those who integrate with those around them, who naturally find their comfortable place. The ones who survive are those who fit well into the world that the future holds.
Time for reflection
So, how might we take our place among the survivors as we evolve from children into adults? How might we become one of the fittest?
To fit in well, we need to be flexible, ready to adapt to changing circumstances. If we aren’t open to change, we could get left behind as the world around us develops. Take technology, for instance: today’s innovation can be out of date tomorrow. We need to be flexible to handle newer, more efficient technology.
However, being flexible doesn’t mean following the latest fashions for their own sake. It can also mean being brave enough to be a little different. Diversity encourages richness within a culture if others are stimulated by it. If we are brave enough to be ourselves, we could be the change-makers.
To fit in well, we also need to co-operate. We can achieve more if we work together, utilizing each individual’s gifts and abilities. No one is omnicompetent. Being a team player is regarded as an excellent characteristic on our application form for any activity.
If we intend to be a good fit, it’s helpful to be well organized, so planning and record-keeping are important skills to utilize. Fitting in well implies that we have a clear idea of where we are aiming, so that we can drive forward. It implies that we’ve built a sturdy foundation of past experiences that we can refer back to.
In today’s highly competitive world, it’s a good idea to keep reflecting on what Darwin intended by the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’. Society will be better off for it.
To close, here’s a song about frogs!
Song/music
‘We all stand together’ by Paul McCartney, available at: https://youtu.be/gVfaf43W9cM (3.26 minutes long)
Extension activity
Ask the students to form groups of four, and then give one another survival scores out of 10 based on flexibility, unique difference, co-operation and organization.
Encourage supportive honesty within the discussion.
