Calling Darwin scholars
I am trying to clarify Darwin's first use of 'survival of the
fittest', and have found conflicting statements.
Christianen and Prout, Chapter 8, "Evolutionary Genetics From
Molecules to Morphology", eds Singh and Krimbas (2000), Cambridge
Univ. Press provide a quote from "Origin of Species" 6th Ed, 1872,
and state that the remark including 'survival of the fittest' was
added by Darwin in the 6th edition after suggestion and encouragement
by Thomas Huxley.
Dawkins "The Extended Phenotype" (1982), Oxford Univ. Press - p. 179
states that the term was adopted by Darwin (1866) at the urging of
Wallace (1866) - with both referenced to letters from Wallace to
Darwin, and Darwin to Wallace.
Both may well be correct, but my question is - if the term was
adopted by Darwin in the letter to Wallace in 1866, did it appear in
either the 4th or 5th editions? I do not have access to these 2 editions!
Stuart Barker
J.S.F. (Stuart) Barker FTSE
Emeritus Professor
School of Rural Science and Agriculture
University of New England
Armidale, NSW 2351
Australia
Honorary Professor
School of Integrative Biology
University of Queensland
Brisbane
HOME: 114 Cooke Road
Witta, Maleny
Qld 4552
Ph. HOME ++ 61 7 5435 8365
email - sbarker At une.edu.au
