Biologist Debunks Kin Selection, Introduces the “Social Gene”
Anthony Caswell, former professor and researcher at the University of Miami, does not agree with the controversial natural selection theory.
A biologist aims to introduce a theory that goes well against his colleagues’ orthodoxy
In his book The Social Gene (FriesenPress, 2016), Anthony Caswell expressed his opposition to kin selection or the selfish gene. The controversial theory holds that an organism will sacrifice its own life to save its offspring or other relatives in order to ensure the survival of the genes they both share. The selfish gene in the organism drives it to display such an altruistic behavior towards its kin, even if it may decrease its own chance of survival as long as its altruistic act benefits the kin.
Caswell opposes kin selection because his own research led him to conclude that different organisms also behave altruistically towards others who do not even belong to their own family and at the cost of their own lives too. He defends this premise in The Social Gene, aptly titled not only to oppose the selfish gene but also to identify the gene that drives organisms to sacrifice their lives for those unrelated to them.
Such a type of altruistic behavior or natural selection is beneficial to both the altruistic organism and the non-kin (outsider, non-relative). Having the same blood does not establish the relationship, but their common long-term interests, and it does not govern the interaction but a combination of rewards and penalties. The social gene still fulfills Charles Darwin’s dictum of “survival of the fittest”.
By writing The Social Gene, Caswell hopes to end the debate on kin selection and modify the theory. Whether specialists and experts would agree with him is another story.
This ground-breaking book was last displayed at the 2017 American Library Association Annual held in Chicago. Copies of the book are available in Amazon and FriesenPress.
The Social Gene
Written by Anthony Caswell
Published by FriesenPress
Published date October 12, 2016
Paperback price: $15.94
About the author
Anthony Caswell was a long-term professor and researcher at the University of Miami Medical School. He now lives in North Georgia.
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