Re: Hamilton meets Matata

From: William Morse (wdmorse_at_twcny.rr.com)
Date: 03/12/05 

Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 00:16:50 -0500 (EST)

"Jim McGinn" <jimmcginn@yahoo.com> wrote in news:d0qtap$17sc$1
@darwin.ediacara.org:

>
> Robert Karl Stonjek wrote:
>> I'm just wondering how Hamilton theories are applied to real life
> situations
>> like the one involving Kanzi, probably the most famous Bonobo (Pan
>> paniscus).

I was trying to respond to RKS's original question, not Jim's follow,but I
accidentally deleted it, so I will try to remember what it is that RKS
questioned.

First I would note that humans also adopt children, knowing full well that
they are not their own and are not related. The point - and it has often
been made - is that there is a difference between the reason a behavior
evolved and the mechanism that causes the behavior. It seems likely that
the tendency towards adoption shown by some primates evolved largely as a
result of kin selection (there may well be other causes, including selfish
ones such as group status and better long term survival of offspring raised
with siblings) - but the mechanism is simply "love of children", so Kanzi
won't care if the adoptee is unrelated.

Yours,

Bill Morse