"In mere impressionism we take our stand. We have no positive tests nor standards. Realism in art: realism in science-they pass away. In 1859 the thing to do was to accept Darwinism; now many biologists are revolting and trying to conceive of something else. The thing to do was to accept it in its day, but Darwinism of course was never proved:
The fittest survive.
What is meant by the fittest?
Not the strongest; not the cleverest-
Weakness and stupidity everywhere survive.
There is no way of determining fitness except in that a thing does survive.
"Fitness" then, is only another name for "survival".
Darwinism:
That survivors survive."
-Charles Fort, Book of the Damned, 1919, pp 37-38
