Kin Selection
Altruism and Kin Selection are very similar and perhaps interchangeable in some situations.
Altruism is defined as when an animal acts to lower its own chance of survival to increase the chances of survival for another animal. It is a selfless act for someone or something else.
Kin Selection is similarly defined as when an animal acts to lower its own chance of survival to increase the chances of survival for a closely related animal.
In my opinion, kin selection absolutely is altruism. I see kin selection as one of the many forms of altruism the same as there are many other ways that altruism can be displayed. Kin selection is a selfless act that helps those it is related to at its own expense so I view it is a specific form of altruism that is exclusive to those it is related to.
My favorite example of this is a deer blowing. As any Oklahoma deer hunter would know, the sound of a deer blowing will almost always mean the deer has caught the hunter’s scent and the hunter no longer has a chance.
Hey Peyton, I like your oklahoman analogy, pretty good representation of both altruism and kin selection
ReplyDeleteHey Peyton! I think sometimes people can believe that altruism and kin selection are both forms of one another, but you did a great job of explaining that kin selection is a form of altruism and not the other way around. I also liked your example you used. Great job!
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