Definition
Plain language
The idea that animals evolve to help their relatives because relatives carry copies of the same genes.
As stated in the literature
An evolutionary mechanism whereby traits favoring genetic relatives spread when the relatedness-weighted benefit outweighs the cost (Hamilton's rule); a real concept misapplied to whole ethnic groups in the pseudo-science tested.
Why it matters: It accounts for cooperation and self-sacrifice among relatives in nature, though stretching it to entire ethnic groups distorts the science.
For example, a worker bee that never reproduces still spreads its genes by helping its queen mother raise sisters that share those genes.
Heard on the show
“And the third, the target, opens with real machinery — kin selection, inclusive fitness.”Episode 228 — Same Chatbot, Two Doors: Why 'Grok's Opinion' Doesn't Exist