In this episode, Jon and I discuss some of the background to the previous episode. We discuss generalized versions of Hamilton’s rule, Fisher’s fundamental theorem, and Wright’s fitness maximization formula. W. D. Hamilton used Sewall Wright’s formula as the foundation of the theory of inclusive fitness. We discuss Wright’s shifting balance theory and the role that Wright’s formula played in his theory. We also discuss the difference between Wright’s rendition of Fisher’s fundamental theorem and Fisher’s formula. We compare the progress of social theory to a telephone game. Finally, Jon explains why we might need the equivalent of “poll requests” when it comes to debugging the software of social evolution.
References
Frank, S. A. (2012). Wright’s adaptive landscape versus Fisher’s fundamental theorem. The adaptive landscape in evolutionary biology, 41-57.
Grodwohl, J. B. (2017). “The theory was beautiful indeed”: rise, fall and circulation of maximizing methods in population genetics (1930–1980). Journal of the History of Biology, 50(3), 571-608.
Nowak, M. A., McAvoy, A., Allen, B., & Wilson, E. O. (2017). The general form of Hamilton’s rule makes no predictions and cannot be tested empirically. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(22), 5665-5670.