Kin Selection and Cooperating Agents

Kin selection is a theory that attempts to explain the apparently altruistic behaviour in nature. It suggests that self-sacrifice in order to save kin is understandable through consideration of the probabilities of occurrence of an individual's genes in its close relatives. Thus altruism can be explained without recourse to `group selection'. However, on closer inspection, it would appear that many of the conclusions drawn from kin selection are based on a confusion between the units of selection--- between the genes and the individuals. This confusion is often mirrored in the application of biological paradigms to computer systems, with the consequence that, if cooperation is required within a system, then it has to be engineered in. A proper understanding of the biological explanations of altruism can be used to design computer systems in which cooperation is a natural consequence of the system, rather than an additional, overcomplicated burden. 1 Introduction The vogue is to look f..