Much of the evolutionary theory is based on the survival of the fittest perspective (or natural selection).

How does this process really work? This article will help clarify exactly what is wrong and what is right about this popular foundational theory.

To begin with, we need to understand what natural selection IS and what it ISN'T. Natural selection only works if there is more than one thing to choose from. If there is only one kind of creature in existence, natural selection cannot work. This may seem like an overly simplified statement, but it actually strikes at the heart of a huge misconception on the part of many.

Natural selection is an eliminator. In other words, if there are two variations of a creature, the theory goes that natural selection chooses the fittest—or best—and allows the unfittest—or weakest—to become extinct.

This goes against the evolutionary concept of more and more varied species evolving through natural selection, as natural selection creates less and less varied species. Without a pre-existing variation of species, evolution by natural selection would be impossible. Natural selection cannot explain the abundance of species we currently see on our planet if all these species stemmed from a single ancestral organism.

The variation that Darwin observed in the finches and other organisms on his voyage with the Beagle led to the concept of evolution by natural selection. This is significant because of the mindset during Darwin's time.

At that time, the Christian European concept of Creation was that God had created immutable, unchangeable species. It was believed that each species was created individually by God exactly as it appears today, and could not change or develop variation. The way species were, and still are, classified utilizes this concept to a large extent.