FWIW, there's a right-wing book by Gandolfi, Gandolfi, and Barash that tries to link Dawkins' selfish gene to Chicago-style neoclassical economics. See _Economics as an evolutionary science_: _From utility to fitness_ by Arthur E. Gandolfi, Anna S. Gandolfi and David P. Barash. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers 2002
On 5/30/07, Walt Byars <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> It is not "just a metaphor". That would be trivializing what has > turned out to be an extremely powerful idea. Dawkins hides behind this > "just a metaphor" excuse in his preface, but is he naive enough to > think that all his readers are as nuanced as he is? Anyone who reads any of the book can see what he is talking about. It is obvious he isn't talking about a gene which causes people to be selfish, or a gene which behaves selfishly. > In reality it fits > in too nicely with the neo-classical rhetoric about humans as utility > maximizing individuals - he supplies a very nice and > plausible-sounding utility function (the survival rate of all your > genes!). This would only have anything to do with utility maximization if people took pleasure in the survival of their genes. If any economists did draw this conclusion, they probably based it on his actual argument and not just the title. > > This would not make sense unless behavior is genetically determined. > -raghu. I don't know what you mean by genetically determined, but what I was saying is totally independent of how much genetics influence behavior. It is simply saying that IF there were biological adaptations which caused people to be more altruistic, they may be selected for if behaving altruistically increases an individual's fitness or that of their close relatives. This logic doesn't rely on the actual existence of biological adaptations which cause people to behave altruistically (I personally think such adaptations exist...I'm not really qualified to debate this, though).
-- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
