Subject: Selfish Ddefinition & mortality
In article <1993Feb16.145131.973 at gserv1.dl.ac.uk> Cary O'Donnell,
ODONNELL at ARCB.AFRC.AC.UK writes:
>Someone else said:
>>> But the
>> "selfish gene" view seems to preclude any argument that would make
>> mortality necessary.
>>Ouch!!! You surely don't mean that a "selfish gene", by definition, must
>prefer immortality of the body?
>>A selfish gene is only interested in making copies of itself. The
strategy
>is usually one of doing better than its rival genes. As long as the gene
>reproduces, mortality of the body is irrelevant.
That is exactly what I said (perhaps you should read more carefully
before jumping to conclusions). I certainly did not say that selfish
genes prefer immortality: they prefer maximal replication, and that seems
to be easier by increasing the number of offspring at an early age than
by increasing the maximal age.
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Dr. Francis Heylighen Systems Researcher
PO, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, B -1050 Brussels, Belgium
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