bourgeois behaviour
Quick Summary
Bourgeois, or mixed attack/retreat behaviour, is the most stable strategy for a population. This strategy resists invasion by either hawks (which always attack) or doves (which always retreat). On the other hand, an all-hawk or all-dove population can be successfully invaded by bourgeois individuals because their expected payoff is higher (in terms of offspring) than either pure strategy.
The term "bourgeois" originated in medieval France, referring to inhabitants of walled towns. In social and political theory, particularly influenced by Karl Marx, it describes the middle class that dominates society. Popularly, it can connote materialism and a focus on respectability, often satirized in literature.1
In biology, "bourgeois behavior" describes a stable strategy in animal conflict. Unlike pure "hawks" (who always fight) or "doves" (who always posture but avoid serious harm), bourgeois individuals adapt their behavior. They may fight fiercely in their own territory but yield elsewhere, effectively using external cues to arbitrate conflict and avoid mutually destructive struggles. This strategy is evolutionarily stable, as it is not easily invaded by purely aggressive or passive types.2
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
