Posts tagged Distortion

Distortion for narrative’s sake: Darwin’s theory of evolution

Darwin’s theory of evolution says that the fittest will survive, triumph, and spread his or her genes. That is the short version, that is the simplified version, which is the version which becomes misused time and time again.

What it actually says, Darwin’s theory of evolution, is that those who are the fittest, most adapted, for its environment that will survive and spread their genes. This is also a simplification, since I don’t mention luck and many other factors that need to be take into account.

So how is it misused than? Well most often it all hinges on the word fittest, at least in my opinion. Fittest can be synonymous with strong/strongest and I guess it is also often translated to strongest. This would mean that the strongest ”by the law of nature” is supossed to win. An even worse interpretation of it is that not only will the strongest survive, only the strongest should survive and also rule the weak, since the weak are unfit to rule (pun intended). Side note: This train of thought, interpretation of evolution, has been used by way to many extremist groups, because it would be so nice if nature/God was supporting what you did.

But as I said earlier, that interpretation is wrong, strength has nothing to do with evolution/natural selection (technically it can have but bear with me). Adaptation does however. If you are good at adapting to a new environment, you are more likely to survive. To exemplify: A mouse is not strong or cleaver, it is placed very low in the food chain. But mice are good at finding food and they reproduce like rabbits. An eagle is strong and among the top in the food chain. But which of them are declining in numbers?

Many villains say that the strongest will survive and rule over the weak to justify their actions. Sometimes they also say something along the lines of “it’s a eat or be eaten world we live in”.

Though that only applies to the “thinking”/”talking” villains. We also have to monster villains that are said to be the pinnacle to evolution, the “perfect” predator, the predator to make everything its prey… yeah, well how about no.

Yes the predator might be extremely dangerous and be able to hunt almost everything. But it won’t be perfect. Because it will be adapted to the environment it came from, not every environment. So to call an apex predator perfect is silly, because it isn’t perfect. If it was it wouldn’t have any flaws, which most monster villains in fact have even though they are “perfect by evolution”.


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