UnitsOfSelection

(Read with GroupSelection)

• A book review with good summary of the debate : http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/lewontin.html

The units of selection problem has two general themes :

• what is the "unit" on which selection operates?

• how do you identify it?

• how do you explain altruism?

What unit?

Suggestions :

• the individual creature

• the individual gene

• "groups" of creatures

• the "trait"

Altruism

What explains apparent altruism in animal behaviour? (Altruism is a problem for a naive Darwinian theory because altruistic decrease one's relative fitness, so why should they have evolved?)

• mutualism - ie. acts which increase the relative fitness of others but also increase your own. Symbiosis between members of different species. Herding and huddling together for warmth, etc.

• GroupSelection

• KinSelection

• ReciprocalAltruism

See alo :

• DefendingAdaptionism

• HumanNature

• (WarpLink) OnModularity