“Group selection,” he said, “brings abut virtue, and—this is an oversimplification, but—individual selection, which is competing with it, creates sin. That, in a nutshell, is an explanation of the human condition.
—Howard W. French quoting E.O. Wilson. “E.O. Wilson’s Theory of Everything.” The Atlantic. November, 2011. Pages 70-82.
—Howard W. French quoting E.O. Wilson. “E.O. Wilson’s Theory of Everything.” The Atlantic. November, 2011. Pages 70-82.
“Within groups, the selfish are more likely to succeed,” Wilson told me in a telephone conversation. “But in competition between groups, groups of altruists are more likely to succeed. In addition, it is clear that groups of humans proselytize other groups and accept them as allies, and that that tendency is much favored by group selection.” Taking in newcomers and forming alliances had become a fundamental human trait, he added, because “it is a good way to win.”
—Howard W. French quoting E.O. Wilson. “E.O. Wilson’s Theory of Everything.” The Atlantic. November, 2011. Pages 70-82.
—Howard W. French quoting E.O. Wilson. “E.O. Wilson’s Theory of Everything.” The Atlantic. November, 2011. Pages 70-82.