Re: Hamilton's Nonsense

From: Perplexed in Peoria (jimmenegay_at_sbcglobal.net)
Date: 12/31/04 

Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 05:21:48 +0000 (UTC)

"Jim McGinn" <jimmcginn@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:cquojb$ug6$1@darwin.ediacara.org...
>
> Perplexed in Peoria wrote:
> > One of the advantages of a textbook ...
>
> In this forum people refer to textbooks when they've
> lost the argument and want to save face.

What I like about textbooks is that they try to PRESENT
arguments rather than trying to WIN them.

> Okay, as long as it's understood that "the" gene
> for altruism involves relatively slight modifications
> of existing behaviors/morphologies then I don't see
> that we have a dispute on this part of Hamilton's
> rule. Fair enough?

"Fairness" has nothing to do with it. We are not engaged in a
contest.

> Now tell us why we should assume that such a slight
> modification should necessarily be rare in a
> population.

You shouldn't. If you have been misled on this point, it is
because Joe Felsenstein (in an attempt to save time?) gave you
the "for dummies" derivation of Hamilton's rule, rather than
the full derivation. Hamilton's rule works regardless of
whether "the gene" or "the behavior" is rare or common.

Relevant Pages

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