Altruism, group selection and correlated interaction

Samir Okasha*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

64 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Group selection is one acknowledged mechanism for the evolution of altruism. It is well known that for altruism to spread by natural selection, interactions must be correlated; that is, altruists must tend to associate with one another. But does group selection itself require correlated interactions? Two possible arguments for answering this question affirmatively are explored. The first is a bad argument, for it rests on a product/process confusion. The second is a more subtle argument, whose validity (or otherwise) turns on issues concerning the meaning of multi-level selection and how it should be modelled. A cautious defence of the second argument is offered.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)703-725
Number of pages23
JournalBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science
Volume56
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2005
Externally publishedYes

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