The Genetical Evolution of Social Behaviour

W.D. Hamilton's seminal paper, "The Genetical Evolution of Social Behaviour," introduced the concept of inclusive fitness. This theory posits that an organism's genetic success is not solely determined by its own reproduction but also by the success of its relatives who share its genes. Hamilton mathematically demonstrated that altruistic behaviors, which benefit others at a cost to oneself, can evolve if the recipients are genetically related to the altruist. This principle is encapsulated in Hamilton's rule, which states that altruism is favored when the benefit to the recipient, weighted by their genetic relatedness to the donor, exceeds the cost to the donor. This framework helps explain the evolution of social behaviors, including cooperation and altruism, within populations.12345