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SUMMARY:Inclusive fitness versus multi-level selection: equivalent approac
 hes to social evolution? - Samir Okasha -  University of Bristol\, UK
DTSTART:20130122T160000Z
DTEND:20130122T170000Z
UID:TALK40262@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Oskar Brattstrom
DESCRIPTION:This talk examines the relationship between two alternative ap
 proaches to the evolution of social behaviour: inclusive fitness theory\, 
 and multi-level selection. A growing consensus in evolutionary biology mai
 ntains that these theories are not really competitors\, despite what was o
 nce thought\, but are in fact 'equivalent'. I argue that this is correct i
 n a sense\, in that it is usually possible to find a correct expression fo
 r gene frequency change using either approach. However this only shows tha
 t the approaches are *predictively* equivalent\, not that they are *causal
 ly* equivalent. In general in science\, predictive equivalent is not usual
 ly taken to imply equivalence tout court\; and I argue that this general m
 oral applies to the case at hand. I examine a number of examples where eit
 her inclusive fitness or multi-level selection seems more 'causally approp
 riate' than the other. I end with a discussion of the suggestion that incl
 usive fitness is preferable on the grounds that it preserves the 'individu
 al as maximizing agent' analogy.
LOCATION:Main Lecture Theatre\, Department of Zoology
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