Skip to main content
Log in

The evolution of altruism: Correlation, cost, and benefit

  • Published:
Biology and Philosophy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A simple and general criterion is derived for the evolution of altruism when individuals interact in pairs. It is argued that the treatment of this problem in kin selection theory and in game theory are special cases of this general criterion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Axelrod, R.: 1984, The Evolution of Cooperation, Basic Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins, R.: 1976, The Selfish Gene, 2nd edition, 1989, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins, R.: 1979, ‘Twelve Misunderstandings of Kin Selection’, Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 51, 184–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eshel, I. and L. Cavalli-Sforza: 1982, ‘Assortment of Encounters and Evolution of Cooperativeness’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 79, 1331–1335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, W.: 1964, ‘The Genetical Evolution of Social Behavior’, Journal of Theoretical Biology 7, 1–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maynard-Smith, J.: 1989, Evolutionary Genetics, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michod, R. and M. Sanderson: 1985, ‘Behavioral Structure and the Evolution of Cooperation’, in J. Greenwood and M. Slatkin (eds.), Evolution: Essays in Honor of John Maynard Smith, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sober, E.: forthcoming, ‘Stable Cooperation in Iterated Prisoners' Dilemmas’, Economics and Philosophy

  • Trivers, R.: 1972, ‘The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism’, Quarterly Review of Biology 46, 35–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trivers, R.: 1985, Social Evolution, Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D.: 1980, The Natural Selection of Populations and Communities, Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D.: 1990, ‘Weak Altruism, Strong Group Selection’, Oikos 59, 135–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D. and L. Dugatkin, in press, ‘Nepotism vs. Tit-for-Tat or, Why Should You Be Nice to Your Rotten Brother?’, Evolutionary Ecology.

  • Wilson, D. and E. Sober, 1988, ‘Reviving the Superorganism’, Journal of Theoretical Biology 136, 337–356.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

My thanks to James Crow, Carter Denniston, Lee Dugarkin, David Wilson, and an anonymous referee of this journal for helpful discussion.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sober, E. The evolution of altruism: Correlation, cost, and benefit. Biol Philos 7, 177–187 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00129882

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00129882

Key words

Navigation