Nice guys finish first, a chapter title in R. Dawkins' revolutionary popular science book the Selfish Gene. Although true altruism can not exist according to the classical theory of natural selection if such an evolutionary protagonist as RD has time for it, then there must be a good reason. In fact, we see much behaviour in nature that appears altruistic: alarm calling, guarding, defence and foraging by non-reproductives and grooming are just a few examples. Since work first began on altruistic behaviours, various mechanisms have emerged that have been able to squeeze them into the conventional model of natural selection. However, by no means can all altruistic behaviour now be explained by these methods.

First, altruism must be defined so we can see how it defies the conventional theory of natural selection. Perhaps more importantly we must then ask why, when inexplicable using Darwin's original model for selection, we still frequently observe altruism in nature. Three answers......

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Title: Why Is Altruistic Behaviour Problematic For The Theory Of Natural Selection?
Approximate Word Count: 1757
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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