International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

The existence of the mechanism of selection at different levels in life's evolution and organization

The idea that natural selection operates not only on individuals but also on groups has been first suggested by DARWIN. Groups may adapt to much more extended and complex environments than individuals. And, as some groups are more apt to discover good collective adaptations than others, being a member of a successful group brings a supplementary advantage to an individual.

A powerful objection to the value of group selection was that it would encourage cheats to benefit from the group without contributing to its progress. It seems in effect that most groups have their cheats (Be them "selfish genes" or parasitic bureaucrats). However, incase of coping with a really harsh environment, the group becomes much more intolerant to internal parasitism by cheats. Moreover, the group which tolerates too much cheating easily loses its selective advantage and may be eliminated by those who demand more solidarity of their members.

The collective and individual gains from group collaborative behavior or solidarity may even explain why groups tend to appear at different levels of organization and could be considered as the main root of sociality.

Evolution could finally offer an alternance of level selection among individuals and emergence of more complex forms of organization, later on again submitted to selection at a higher hierarchic level (J. MAYNARD SMITH & E. SZATHMARY, 1999)

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