The Department of Logic & Philosophy of Science Colloquium Series presents

"Groups, Individuals, and the Emergence of Sociality"
with Andrew Hamilton, Arizona State University

October 7, 2011
3:00 p.m.
Social Science Tower, Room 777

About the talk:
The evolution of sociality—particularly including altruistic behaviors—is one of the more perplexing problems in evolutionary theory. This talk approaches the question of how sociality originated in an evolutionary context by arguing that it didn't, or rather that it need not have. Focusing on his own recent work on individuality as well as collaborative work in behavioral ecology, Hamilton will argue that the standard framing of origins of sociality problem rests on faulty assumptions both about the relevant units of analysis and selection and about the empirical details of how cooperation and division of labor arise in study populations. This approach shifts the set of questions that have to be answered if we are to explain where sociality came from and the mechanisms by which it arose. His hope is that this re-conceptualization of the debate also leads to progress in understanding how evolution works.

For further information, please contact Patty Jones, patty.jones@uci.edu or 949-824-1520.