[lit-ideas] Re: Do the fittest survive? Not necessarily
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:27:30 EDT
J. Krueger agrees with me when she says she's "always wondered if there
weren't a definitional tautology involved in "survival of the fittest" -- what
do we call those who survive? fitter than others... Or define fittest?
Those who survive..."
McCreery's reply involves a polysemy that I would avoid: "The particular
example I posted is a nice illustration of how fitness takes on different
senses depending on the relevant context."
I did not get too involved in the example -- I don't DO beetles.
But I think Krueger's point needs formalising. As she notes: it's a matter
of gradational adjectives:
'fit'
'fitter'
'fittest'
In symbols, x, and y.
x is Fitter than y (Fxy).
x is the fittest -- needs to be formalised as the negation of an
existential for any variable y.
-(Ey)Fyx
---
Back to Krueger:
"always wondered if there weren't a definitional tautology involved in
"survival of the fittest" -- what do we call those who survive? fitter than
others... "
----- But we don't need to. But maybe we do. This meaning of 'fit', which
is nonexistent in Graeco-Roman literature, is a Malthusian, Spencerian
'technicism'.
I do agree that it's a matter of '=df', in which case, McCreery's titling
of this post involves a contradiction: It is NECESSARY that the fittest
survive.
Krueger continues:
"Or define fittest? Those who survive...""
------
Grice has used some of this terminology. He defines this and that regarding
this or that 'pirot' as he calls them.
'to survive' is possibly the wrong verb, too. I don't think it is backed in
Graeco-Roman philosophical vocabulary. It is, again, a new thing by
Spencer, and Malthus, from "Little England" -- from the time of the 'dark
satanic
mills', and stuff.
Cheers,
Speranza -- Bordighera
Or define fittest? Those who survive..."
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