Adaptation and Natural Selection

Darwin on "Group Selection"

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What is "group selection" as opposed to the plain natural selection working on individuals? Here is the basic idea stated in intuitive terms by Darwim himself. In the Descent of Man (1871), Darwin touches on "group selection" when he considers the development of moral faculties in man.

It must not be forgotten that although a high standard of morality gives but a slight or no advantage to each individual man and his children over the other men of the same tribe, yet that an advancement in the standard of morality and in increase in the number of well-endowed men will certainly give an immense advantage to one tribe over another. There can be no doubt that a tribe including many members who, from possessing in a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedienhce, courage, and sympathy, were always ready to give aid to each other and to sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over other tribes; and this would be natural selection. (Darwin 1871, 166)

Thus, a group selection works, if an individual's character is beneficial to the survival of the group to which he/she belongs, although it is not beneficial to the survival and reproduction of the individual himself/herself.

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