[ExI] Group Selection Advances

[Aware]

> At 03:14 PM 5/1/2009 -0700, Keith wrote:
>> [BillK:]
>> Isn't this disproved by the falling birth rates in first world societies?
>
> No.  The only thing this shows is a temporary mismatch between the
> environment (including culture as environmental element) and the genes.
>>
>> Surely it isn't in the self interest of the genes to reduce reproduction?
>
> Never.  By definition.

Actually, that depends entirely on whether we mean reduce the
reproduction *rate*, which would seem to be the only sensible
interpretation, since the alternative amounts to a tautology.

And of course throttling the reproduction rate is not only good for
the longer-term persistence of the gene, but quite quickly become
necessary for any organism in any environment given the ruinous
consequences of unthrottled doubling.

- Jef