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Social semantics: toward a genuine pluralism in the study of social behaviour
Article first published online: 23 JUL 2007
DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01396.x
Additional Information
How to Cite
WILSON, D. S. (2008), Social semantics: toward a genuine pluralism in the study of social behaviour. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 21: 368–373. doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01396.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 23 JUL 2007
- Article first published online: 23 JUL 2007
- Received 22 January 2007; revised 20 May 2007; accepted 30 May 2007
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Keywords:
- altruism;
- cooperation;
- group selection;
- inclusive fitness;
- kin selection;
- multilevel selection;
- pluralism;
- social behaviour;
- sociobiology
Abstract
Pluralism is the coexistence of equivalent theoretical frameworks, either because they are historically entrenched or because they achieve separate insights by viewing the same process in different ways. A recent article by West et al. [Journal of Evolutionary Biology (2007) vol. 20, 415–432] attempts to classify the many equivalent frameworks that have been developed to study the evolution of social behaviour. This article addresses shortcomings in the West et al.’s article, especially with respect to multilevel selection, in a common effort to maximize the benefits of pluralism while minimizing the semantic costs.