ThoughtCo on comparing 'survival of the fittest' and natural selection
From the article: “Students who are first learning about evolution and natural selection should avoid using the term until they have a deeper knowledge of the subject.” I consider the concept of “survival of the fittest” to be pretty straightforward. I don't think it takes long to grasp the meaning of this phrase and use it correctly. I certainly understand that my father probably doesn't understand the distinction, but, to be fair, he never studied evolution in his schooling. The general population has a gap in their basic scientific literacy, and they misunderstand the scientific usage of words like "fittest" and "theory," but I don't think that's typical of first-year biology students. I hope that's not the case, anyway, or we're a lot worse off than when I was in school.