Question

Read the following passage.

For decades, evolutionary biologists debated the origins of altruistic behavior, a trait that seemingly contradicts the Darwinian imperative of individual reproductive success. In the 1960s, inclusive fitness (IF) theorists offered a compelling resolution: altruism evolves not because it benefits the organism, but because it benefits the organism's genetic relatives. By prioritizing the gene as the fundamental unit of selection, IF theorists dismissed the older notion that traits could evolve for the "good of the group." They maintained that any biological phenomenon appearing to be group selection could ultimately be reduced to the mathematics of genetic relatedness, rendering group-level explanations theoretically superfluous.

Recently, however, multi-level selection (MLS) theorists have challenged this reductionist view. While not denying that inclusive fitness operates, MLS theorists argue that selection occurs simultaneously at multiple levels of biological organization, including the group. According to this framework, a group predominantly composed of altruists will often outcompete a group of selfish individuals, even if selfish individuals hold a reproductive advantage within any given group. MLS theorists contend that the IF perspective relies on restrictive assumptions about population dynamics and fails to adequately capture the evolutionary pressures that arise when distinct groups interact and compete. They argue that viewing group selection as merely an illusion of inclusive fitness obscures the genuine causal mechanisms driving the evolution of highly cooperative societies.

Based on the passage, which of the following statements would inclusive fitness (IF) theorists most likely endorse? (Select all that apply.)