‘Survival of the fittest’

That’s the term Darwin coined to explain the basis for evolution, why some species evolved and some didn’t.

Darwin’s Origin of Species was published in 1856, smack bang in the middle of the First and Second Industrial Revolutions. It was a time when ‘man’ considered he had ‘conquered’ nature. Which is kind of a weird thing to think — as if we humans are somehow separate from nature, when of course we’re just another expression of nature.

‘Individualism’ is another idea that came out of the 19th century. Linking ‘individualism’ with ‘survival of the fittest’ has led to perverse outcomes, perhaps best expressed by Margaret Thatcher’s famous quote:

There’s no reason for us to hang onto these 19th-century ideas anymore.

Perhaps ‘survival of the fittest’ actually refers to strong caring communities.

See: Save the whales: How Moko the dolphin came to the rescue of a mother and her calf

We see so many expressions of animals (including human animals) helping other animals, that it seems our default mindset isn’t individualistic; it’s much more kind, caring and socially minded than we sometimes allow ourselves to remember.

Maybe kindness is essential for survival.

Cheree Corbin @ This Earthly Tent

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I write about the intersection of geopolitics, finance, resources, war and power, and where peace fits in to all that.

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