Competition has changed much over the centuries. The root of the word, petere (-pet), means “to rush”, “to fly”, “to strive”; its prefix, com-, means “together”, “with”, “in combination”. But despite this somewhat broad etymology, the sporting heritage of the word has injected it with the notion of rivalry, victory and defeat. At times it has accrued a war-like dressage, an aura of violence.
Beyond the arenas of sport and combat, the term is mostly used within evolutionary biology or economic contexts. It is no stretch to say that the latter has weaponised the former.
Darwin’s theories, as with many evolutionary biologists, have been consistently hijacked by ideologues. In the words of Andrew Carnegie: “The law of competition (...) is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest.”
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