Math convinces Dawkins

Richard Dawkins on his acceptance of The Handicap Principle:

Verbal arguments of this kind can take us only so far. Mathematical models are needed, and various people supplied them, notably John Maynard Smith who concluded that Zahavi's idea, though interesting, just wouldn't work. Or, to be more precise, Maynard Smith couldn't find a mathematical model that led to the conclusion that Zahavi's theory might work. He left open the possibility that somebody else might come along later with a better model. That is exactly what Alan Grafen did, and now we all have to change our minds.

I translated Grafen's mathematical model back into words, in the Second Edition of The Selfish Gene (pp 309-313), and I shall not repeat myself here. In one sentence, Grafen found an evolutionarily stable combination of male advertising strategy and female credulity strategy that turned out to be unmistakeably Zahavian. I was wrong to dismiss Zahavi, and so were a lot of other people.

Tags

More like this

Excellent. I have been convinced of the Handicap Principle for some time and am glad to read this explicitly stated.

Independent of whether the Handicap Principle is always true, sometimes true, or never true, the book that Zahavi and his wife co-authored is great reading. Very clear jargon-free prose, and jam-packed with descriptions of all sorts of fascinating and unusual animal behavior. Highly recommended.

By Emory Kimbrough (not verified) on 01 Jan 2008 #permalink

Did Joan Roughgarden's thoughts on sexual selection ever make any impact? As I understand it (possibly wrongly!), she suggested that sexual displays are not just important in convincing the opposite sex individuals ("look girls! I'd be a good mate!") but also in convincing the same sex individuals not to waste time competing ("look guys, don't even bother!"). In human terms, who is the (hetero) guy with the Ferrari p****-extension really trying to impress - his friends or potential mates?

Whether correct or not, I suspect animals spend more time critically evaluating their competition that we usually give them credit for.

By Sam the Centipede (not verified) on 02 Jan 2008 #permalink