[ExI] Ants for spike! Dawkins and Wilson

[Robert Masters]

Regarding the two Wilsons' defense of group selection, Keith Henson wrote:

<<The article is hand waving and bonhomie.>>

Bonhomie?  You're accusing the Wilsons of "good-natured easy friendliness"?  

Regarding your other comments, I'm having trouble understanding exactly what you're saying.  It would help if I could get clear on an earlier statement you made (14 Nov.):

<<Group selection for humans cannot logically happen because human groups swap women around.  Biological evolution is changes in gene frequencies.  If due to some group selection effects a group has an accumulation of advantageous genes in their gene pool, it is lost to nearby competing groups as the women take the advantageous genes with them when they are swapped.  QED.>>

Is that really the reason why group selection cannot work?  As Damien Broderick pointed out, many competing human groups DON'T exchange women.  Are you saying that, in those cases, group selection DOES work?


Rob Masters