neoteny, the cause of group altruism
Jeffrey,
Wilson and Nowak vs. Dawkins and Coyne is the latter two defending Neo-Darwinism/natural selection. The Wilson theory that individual altruism is the result rather than the cause of group selection does not depend on natural selection.
Few evo-biologists today believe in natural selection as the mechanism of evolution. But kinship selection theory along with population genetics is a like a religion to those who are funded based on it. Stephen Jay Gould called these types Darwin Fundamentalists.
Group altruism is a neotenic trait which can result from group developmental retardation which can produce individuals with less developed, self-centered territorial instincts, resulting in altruism. This is a possible cause of group altruism, for which, to my knowledge, no cause has been otherwise proposed.
Lorenzian territorialism is an anti-cooperative instinct opposed to the instinct to tolerate kin within the territory. Territorialism is an instinct which overrides kin tolerance. Altruism is what is left in its failure to develop in the individual or group, by developmental retardation, or neoteny. Male behavior is territorial and female behavior kin tolerant.
In 1967 I met Gore Vidal's father General Vidal, a mid-east diplomat who told me not to worry about an Arab victory since they are endemically unable to cooperate with each other. They cannot honor contracts no less conduct a war. The Japanese are the opposite.
Show this to E.O. I would like to meet him. Please arrange this. Stuey