Darwin & "Survival of the fittest"?

Question

Darwin says:

"The pigeon fancier knows what he wants. The fittest are not defined by their survival. They are, rather allowed to survive because they possess desired traits."

Can someone explain to me how this artificial selection is fit as an independent criterion for the word "fittest"?

And what does he mean by "desired traits"?

Answer 1

Certain physical appearance makes certain pigeons more desirable than others.  Consequently, they have a higher degree of survivability.

Answer 2

The word "survival" is really a negative word for us humans. Animals need to survive, and so do our materialistic bodies, but we have a soul, which has nothing to do with survival, rather it's main purpose is to flourish and create, just like God, that created that soul, as part of himself.

Being fit, and being strong, have never been a great human quality, outside of a gym or the Olympics. Most "great" people in our history, have contributed via their creative minds and flourishing spirit.

It can be difficult to reach, and tp understand our soul's purpose, but in the journey of the search, and in the lack of a destination, it's still very dangerous to start comparing ourselves to Pigeons.

Answer 3

Darwin does not Say that animals evolve because they are stronger, faster, etc. although they possible could. The idea behind evolution is that animals that have certain traits that allow them to perform better in a particular environment will theoretically survive better. Over the course of a great deal of time this desired trait will theoretically override the less desired trait since the more desirable trait will live longer and produce more offspring.

I do not say theoretically because i disagree with evolution but because it is still possible that an animal with an undesirable trait will still survive and produce offspring.

Answer 4

in this case, fittest means has traits that are appealing to human breeders.  The breeder wants a fast pigeon, so quickness is a desired trait

Answer 5

In the wild, in order to reproduce an animal needs to be able to survive and compete for mates.  So traits which allow it to do those things make it 'fit'.  But animals bred in captivity are fed and taken care of and, if the breeder chooses, put in an environment where they are the only possible mate.  So survival and competition are no longer important.  Instead the animals are allowed to reproduce if they have traits which appeal to the breeder, and that is what is meant by 'desired traits'; traits desired by the breeder.

Answer 6

Of course, Darwinian fitness relates to survival but the measure of fitness is how many offspring one produces that survive to reproduce on their own. You may be a fantastic athlete and a world-class survivor, but if you don't have kids, you're Darwinian fitness is zero. And if you do have lots of children but none of them have any interest in raising their own family - then you and all your kids are evolutionary dead-ends. It's all about how many of your genes are passed on to the next generation.

In the case of breeding domestic animals, the fittest individuals (the ones that reproduce most) are chosen because they have characteristics such as different colors, feather patterns, and lengths, etc. These are traits desired by the breeder but may have no natural survival benefits at all.