1) "Cooperation pays" is no theory at all. First, cooperation often doesn't pay. Second, when it does pay, theory is required to explain why it has a net advantage over non-cooperation. Every theory of social evolution must posit a population structure to answer this question...
2) ...Why? Because social behaviors are invariably expressed in groups that are small compared to the evolving population. And please don't portray me as if I am the Lone Ranger! For the importance of cultural group selection, including the national scale, read Richerson/Boyd...
3) ...@JoHenrich , @mmuthukrishna , @Peter_Turchin. And when you say that MLS is confusing, this is more a statement about you than the literature. Articles don't make it through the peer review process and books aren't published by top publishers when they are confusing....
4) ...What's most sad about this is that your hand-wringing about MLS theory comes at a time when it is needed more than ever to make sense of the multi-level cultural dynamics taking place all around us and the need to suppress lower-levels of selection so that cooperation...
5) ...Can take place as a global scale. Economists such as @EricBeinhocker and @DJSnower are starting to get it, most of your colleagues in evolutionary science at the very least endorse the concept of equivalence and refrain from calling the MLS formulation confusing...
6) ...For my part, I've stopped worrying about the segment of the evolutionary community that just can't get it and concentrate on real-world applications such as Prosocial.world. For perplexed and/or amused readers who want to learn more, here are three recommendations..
7) My 3-hr podcast with @jollyswagmenpod that discusses MLS theory in the context of all theories of social evolution: player.fm/series/the-jol….
8) My extensive and respectful @tvolmag conversation with Jonathan Birch on the concept of equivalence for theories of social evolution. evolution-institute.org/master-class-a…
9) My @tvolmag article comparing cultural group selectionists such as @JoHenrich with evolutionary psychologists such as Max Krasnow, @sapinker and, for that matter, @Oliver_S_Curry. evolution-institute.org/focus-article/…
10) End of twitter rant!
