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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–3Cite as

George C. Williams

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Synonyms

George C. Williams (Founder of Darwinian Medicine); George Williams; George Williams on Group Selection

Definition

George Williams was a highly influential evolutionary biologist best known for criticizing group-level selection and advocating in its place a focus on individual-level selection and adaptation.

Introduction

George Christopher Williams (1926–2010) was a highly influential evolutionary biologist best known for his contributions to understanding the evolution of senescence, to criticizing group-level selection and advocating individual-level selection and adaptation, and along with Randolph Nesse to establishing the field of evolutionary medicine. Williams was a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution in the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Theory of Senescence

In 1957, Williams published Pleiotropy, Natural Selection, and the Evolution of Senescence – perhaps the most influential paper on the evolution of aging ever published. In it...

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References

  • Barkow, J. H., Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (1992). The adapted mind: Evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Dawkins, R. (1976). The selfish gene. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Fisher, R. A. (1930). A genetical theory of natural selection. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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  • Hamilton, W. D. (1966). The moulding of senescence by natural selection. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 12, 12–45.

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  • Medawar, P. B. (1952). An unsolved problem of biology. London: H. K. Lewis.

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  • Nesse, R. M., & Williams, G. C. (1994). Why we get sick: The new science of Darwinian medicine. New York: Times Books.

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  • Williams, G. C. (1957). Pleiotropy, natural selection, and the evolution of senescence. Evolution, 11, 398–411.

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  • Williams, G. C. (1966). Adaptation and natural selection: A critique of some current evolutionary thought. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

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  • Williams, G. C. (1992). Natural selection: Domains, levels, and challenges. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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  • Williams, G. C., & Nesse, R. M. (1991). The dawn of Darwinian medicine. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 66, 1–22.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Bryan L. Koenig

Authors
  1. Bryan L. Koenig
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bryan L. Koenig .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland Univ Dept of Psycholgy, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  3. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Koenig, B.L. (2016). George C. Williams. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3015-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3015-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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