Charles Darwin
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Charles Darwin Myths - Quotes
This page contains quotes attributed to Darwin that do not originate from him.
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Survival of the Fittest
Charles Darwin invented the term "Survival of the fittest".
Actually the phrase was invented by Herbert Spencer after he read Darwin's book On the Origin of Species[8]. Darwin used the phrase as a synanym for "natural selection" in the fifth edition of On the Origin of Species, he did not mean it in a "social-Darwinism" context[9]. To clarify, it referred to being "better adapted for immediate, local environment", not "in the best physical shape" or "most intelligent". It was not meant to be a scientific term, as it is both incomplete and misleading[10].
Man came from Monkeys
Darwin described in his book / later in his life / at some time that Man originated from monkeys.
This is another young-Earth creationist myth. Darwin never suggested human beings evolved from monkeys, he only suggested the monkeys and Man may have evolved from a common ancestor, which turned out to be true[11].