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>evolution is selecting for survival of the species, not the individual I believe that is wrong. Selection works on the level of the individual and their genes
by hermitcrab 18d ago
>evolution is selecting for survival of the species, not the individual
I believe that is wrong. Selection works on the level of the individual and their genes. Dawkins covered this extensively in at least one of his books. Any professional biologists care to comment?
- HarHarVeryFunny 18d agoI think it's most accurate to say that selection works at the level of genes (or combinations of genes), not of individuals, and of course many individuals of a species will share some/most of their genetics. You can tell it as a story (easier to teach) of individual success in surviving and having children, which isn't wrong, but it's also not the big picture.
- int_19h 17d agoSelection works on the level of the genes. Dying without procreating can still be advantageous if doing so means that enough of your relatives survive, for example. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_selection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_selection