does the term, "survival of the fittest" apply to students in highschool

However, I would like to emphasize my opponent’s argument. Please note, my opponent, please write a much more detailed opening argument and define words and terms in your first round. It is a form of good argumentation to do so… Survival of the Fittest: “the idea that species adapt and change by natural selection with the best suited mutations becoming dominant. ” [1] The Semantic Argument The term survival of the fittest was chiefly created to describe the process of natural selection, though the general consensus among the scientific community is that the term does not accurately denote such a process. In fact, in The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, Darwin wrote: “This preservation, during the battle for life, of varieties which possess any advantage in structure, constitution, or instinct, I have called Natural Selection; and Mr. Herbert Spencer has well expressed the same idea by the Survival of the Fittest. The term "natural selection" is in some respects a bad one, as it seems to imply conscious choice; but this will be disregarded after a little familiarity"[2] In this case, the term “survival of the fittest” denotes the change of species in regard to changes to the environment, with the domination of mutations. It is strictly a scientific term, though outdated. Pro suggests that it can be applied to high school students if one considers the common difficulties and challenges a high school student faces. This is true, but only if we conflate the strictly scientific meaning of the phrase, survival of the fittest, to mirror the everyday life of the instigator. I respect the instigator’s argument, but assuming that the term ‘survival of the fittest’ applies to high school students only conflates the general meaning of the word ‘fittest’, which generally means ‘adapted or suited; appropriate’ [3], with not only the scientific meaning (most adapted or suited to environmental changes), but the social one (adapted to high school routine or experience). Terminologies have origins, and these origins generally determine the specific usage of the term. That origin in turn also determines its meaning: ‘survival of the fittest’ was coined by Herbert Spencer, who was, in turn, again referring to the concept of natural selection when he first used the term: "This survival of the fittest. .. is that which Mr. Darwin has called 'natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life'. " [1] It is clear that Spencer intended, in his book—the Principles of Biology, that this term not be applied to social standards but to biology, specifically the theory of evolution. Natural selection is merely the “nonrandom process by which biologic traits become more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. ” [4] There are no social implications that apply to the everyday experiences that Pro was referencing to. Darwin himself merely wrote about variations occurring to species that account for part of evolution. The only ties between evolution and society should be social Darwinism, but that itself is irrelevant to the debate… Recap I have shown that the term ‘survival of the fittest’ and, partly, ‘natural selection’, are chiefly scientific in origin and definition. To suggest that they apply to areas of life outside the range of science [such as our high school experiences] would conflate and distort these specific meanings. Secondary Argument/Refutation In addition, I would also like to point out that Pro only considered his high school experience. There are a few problems with this approach: Subjectivity: Pro fails to give examples of other high school environments that might challenge or stimulate students to “fit in and be popular”. In addition, Pro is also neglecting the different type of students that enter the high schools, and the different range of tastes and behavior that would cause him/her to be more popular than others. Vagueness: Pro’s resolution is very vague in that ‘high school students’ cover freshmen, sophomore, juniors, and even seniors, all of which may have differing degrees of popularity and adaptation to the school environment. In addition, the resolution is phrased as a question. I suggest Pro not to phrase his resolution like a question, otherwise it can potentially cause confusion—especially upon one’s views and stance on the topic presented. With that being said, I will be more than glad to continue the debate. I will, in particular, focus on our high school experiences if Pro concedes to my previous argument. [1] . http://www.phrases.org.uk... [2] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [3] . http://dictionary.reference.com... [4] . http://en.wikipedia.org...