3 ms·
No. There are certainly mutations that have no measurable impact on fitness (as per Kimura's neutral theory), but the very reason they don't affect fitness is b
by jhbadger 6y ago
No. There are certainly mutations that have no measurable impact on fitness (as per Kimura's neutral theory), but the very reason they don't affect fitness is because they don't have any impact on traits. The problem with imagining a trait that has no selective impact is that there is no way it could have come into existence in the first place. Even the simplest trait would require many mutations to evolve, and without the power of selection driving it, that would be just statistically impossible.
In terms of mutual aid not applying to human societies I mean Kropotkin's idea of it as something he thought was a natural instinct of helpfulness. Obviously humans can and should help each other, but this has nothing to do with our instincts. Humans share the genetic programming of other animals, but because of our greater reasoning powers we can go beyond our instincts.