Several overarching principles are applicable to selection in Earth systems. (1) The generalized selection logic of VSR (variation-selection-retention) that applies to abiotic selection in Earth surface systems (ESS), as well as to biology. Darwinian natural selection is a version of the broader VSR principle. (2) Positive feedback is common in ESS and is in many cases a form of selection. While positive feedback sometimes produces instability, it can also serve to reinforce variations or disturbances that are beneficial for system function and survival. (3) Abiotic selection repeatedly produces similar patterns as emergent phenomena, which is a simpler explanation than those that imply intentionality on the part of inanimate nature. (4) Selection is probabilistic, not deterministic. On average and in the aggregate, more efficient and better adapted features persist and recur, but this is not always the case (just as the fitter organisms are not the ones to survive and reproduce in every instance). (5) The first and second laws of thermodynamics (conservation of matter, energy, and momentum) are involved in selection, as reflected in the least action and maximum entropy production principles. (6) Gradient selection involves preferential utilization of the steepest energy gradient pathways, often imprinted and reinforced by positive feedback. (7) Resistance selection is based on fundamental principles of force vs. resistance, resulting in increased survival of stronger, more durable, and more stable entities. (8) Gradient and resistance selection are part of a broader class of efficiency selection, to which can be added network selection and thermodynamic selection.