A more formal description: > If a gene copy confers a benefit B on another vehicle at cost C to its own vehicle, its costly action is strategically beneficial

A more formal description: > If a gene copy confers a benefit B on another vehicle at cost C to its own vehicle, its costly action is strategically beneficial if p_B > C, where p is the probability that a copy of the gene is present in the vehicle that benefits. Actions with substantial costs therefore require significant values of p. Two kinds of factors ensure high values of p: relatedness (kinship) and recognition (green beards). The Selfish Gene is probably the most famous way of looking at that concept. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolutio...