Tim Tyler  wrote in news:c6tqgc$dl8$1
{at}darwin.ediacara.org:

> Anon.  wrote or quoted:
> 
>> There is a slight problem that "group selection" can
mean different 
>> things.  The earlier meaning, the "for the good of the
species" idea 
>> deserves to be squashed.  Unfortunately, the "trait group
selection" 
>> idea gets caught up in the cross-fire.
> 
> "For the good of the species" probably has better foundations than
> "for the good of the group".
> 
> At least species don't suffer from having their separate identities 
> violated by too much migration of sexual individuals between them.
> 
> The remaining problems with "for the good of the species" are:
> 
> * the slow rate of species reproduction;
> * the charge that things that are for the good of the species are also
>   (mostly) for the good of the individual - and that therefore species
>   selection offers little explanatory power over individual selection.
> 
> These are not fatal problems.  Slow species reproduction rates might 
> result in "for the good of the species" explanations /rarely/ being 
> applicable - but should not result in their complete dismissal.

As far as I can see, there is nothing wrong with an explanation that is 
"for the good of the species" (group, deme, etc.) so long as it is not 
harmful to the individual. Individuals tend to compete with conspecifics, 
and in the case of a fixed carrying capacity any trait that benefits an 
individual will subtract from the fitness of the rest of the population. 
But what if the trait increases the carrying capacity? In this case it 
will still benefit the individual, but it will also benefit the species! 
In general such traits may face stiffer odds of spreading than traits 
that benefit just the individual, since the individual benefit is at 
first just a fraction of the overall benefit. But once established at 
even a relatively small frequency, they may survive better than traits 
that merely benefit the individual, since they reduce the odds of loss by 
sampling error by increasing the population. 


Yours,

Bill Morse
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