Anthony Cerrato  wrote or quoted:

> I came across this idea in a SF book by either Wil McCarthy
> or Jack McDevitt (don't remember) but it was just mentioned
> in passing. Thinking about it, I feel one or more genes for
> social dominance factors might explain quite a bit about how
> great leaders come to be leaders. Presumably, such a gene or
> gene complex would code for one or more proteins that lead
> to dominance pheromones, or perhaps,  just a complex of
> other factors (a deep, resonant voice might be a simple
> example, demagoguery might be another--but there could be
> zillions of subtle or not-so-subtle actions like this that
> lead to dominating
> behavior and leadership. [Also explains why I never ever got
> to speak much at action meetings! :) ] It's a captivating
> idea. If true, great leaders are truly born, not made!
> 
> AIUI, ants and bees and such use various pheromones
> extensively, not for just simple primitive communication and
> sex etc., but to also help organize their societies into
> various classes. Why shouldn't humans also have such an
> analogous genetic program/mandate?

It sounds rather like the plan of breeding for the trait of
having more than the average number of children.

If you could do it the mutation would sweep through the population -
and soon the population would be back where it started again - since
the fecund organisms would be forced into competition with their
cousins.
-- 
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