Definition

Otherwise known as inclusive fitness theory, kin selection refers to the theory that people have evolved to favor others who are genetically related to them. The logic of the theory is that a gene can propagate itself through two routes. The first is by increasing the likelihood that the body in which it resides (the self) will survive and reproduce (e.g., by leading to the selection of nutritious foods and fertile mates). The second is by increasing the reproduction of close relatives (kin) who also possess copies of the same gene (e.g., by leading the self to help kin in ways that increase the chances that they will reproduce and the gene will be passed on). Some of your kin are more closely related to ...