Evolution Quote by John Kenneth Galbraith
“It was Herbert Spencer, not Charles Darwin, who coined the phrase Survival of the Fittest.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Economics in Perspective, 1999, Chapter on Evolutionary Theory
The phrase “survival of the fittest” was coined by Spencer, not Darwin, highlighting misattribution.
In simple terms: Spencer, not Darwin, coined “survival of the fittest”.
Key Takeaway
Correct the origin of a common phrase.
Themes
evolution
misinformation
history
Mood
educational
critical
Type
historical
scientific
When to use this quote
- education
- science communication
- debate
- media reporting
Key Concepts
evolutionary theory
public discourse
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we keep attributing the phrase to Darwin?
- How does correct attribution affect understanding?
A Different Perspective
Misattributions persist despite correction.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
