Can we get a less misreading summary of evolution than "Survival of the fittest"?

well perhaps there is no need for a reformulation.. because there are infinite number of factors that can influence whether something 'survives' or not.. you cant go any further than 'survival of those that survive'. as soon as you try to define what makes something 'that which survives' you realise that it could be absolutely anything.

the fact that it is a truism is why it is such a fundamental concept, and is irrefutable.

the question of evolution is not whether it occurs or not. the question is whether the current diversity and indeed the presence of life at all, can be put down to evolution alone.