I was dismayed to see the University misquoting, and thereby misusing, Darwin to kick off its Aspire campaign (with a biologist at the helm, and on Darwin’s 200th birthday to boot). His seminal message about adaptation referred to species (not individuals) that are most responsive to change. The idea that evolution involves changes in individuals within generations, rather than in populations between generations, is a popular misconception of evolution’s foundational idea that Princeton should avoid perpetuating.
