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When I read The Selfish Gene that explanation was very convincing to my (layman's) mind, but I've since wondered if some sort of "multilevel selection" mightn't
by xhevahir 4y ago
When I read The Selfish Gene that explanation was very convincing to my (layman's) mind, but I've since wondered if some sort of "multilevel selection" mightn't do a better job of explaining both individual and group behavior. (The idea of "memes" is an interesting metaphor, imo, and nothing more.)
This reminds me of a book I had hoped to read, "Darwin's Cathedral."
- mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y agoYou might want to read up on the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. It's a proposed extension to the modern synthesis of Dawkins' generation and includes concepts like multilevel selection and cultural evolution. It's currently a matter of debate and empirical verification in the field. But it's a lot more in line with my way of thinking about evolution as a constantly self-bootstrapping process finding new media to evolve. I subscribe to an evolutionary cosmology myself(not Sheldrake's drivel), but that's mostly just a pet theory I like to think about when I'm high :D