> [!infobox]
<s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 2 evergreens, 1 source</em></s>
#### [[Group selection solves the fundamental problem of social life]]
answers:: [[What is the link between evolution and social behavior]]
> ![[10_Sources/books - Darwin's Cathedral#^288457438]]
Widely discussed in [[10_Sources/books - Darwin's Cathedral#THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM OF SOCIAL LIFE|Darwin's Cathedral]], this is a problem that hits to the core of [[Evolution]] when you apply the selfish rules of [[individual selection]] to organized social groups.
In order to solve this you need to apply the rules of [[natural selection]] to groups as well as individuals.
While this was the conclusion Darwin came to,
later developments in the realm of [[molecular genetics]] caused many to only look at individuals and that [[group selection]] was too weak of a force to be considered.
^[This was not only the fault of [[molecular genetics]], and spawned just as much from the overuse of the now laughable idea of "for the good of the group" [[10_Sources/books - Darwin's Cathedral#^288296632]]]
This lead to long held beliefs that seemingly altruistic behaviors must be hiddenly selfish.
While this can often be true, it nor the ideas of [[kin selection]], [[reciprocal altruism]], or [[inclusive fitness]] were full explanations.
%% #TO/TEND/WEED %%
The answer is largely three fold,
first you must understand and properly apply the rules of [[group selection]],
then you must understand that
[[Social control promotes highly altruistic behavior within groups]]
which leads to
[[Highly integrated social control allows groups to act as adaptive units]]
and finally that
[[Individual selection is an emergent mechanic of group selection]].
> ![[10_Sources/books - Darwin's Cathedral#^288936969]]
### <hr class="footnote"/>
**Status**:: #EVER/SAPLING
*edited 7:35 AM - July 08, 2022*
**Topics**:: [[Evolution]], [[group selection]], [[natural selection]]