Here is an article in the NYT about ants, humans and sociobiology. The author reports on a study of whether natural selection can act on a group versus an individual. This thought process can lead to claims about human behavior including aspects of morality.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/science/15wils.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087&em&en=0c430acc141c196e&ex=1216267200

This is a complicated ethical topic, since sociobiology was once used to explain why certain minority groups were worse off than others. Genetic fitness applied to groups is an interesting theory, and needs to be further hashed out. Its easy to see how individual mutation can facilitate natural selection. Its harder to understand how an entire group can change, above and beyond the fitness of the individual. I think there is work done on this theory in the Ant world.

Here is another link to a more scholarly article on the subject.

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/522809?cookieSet=1

If anyone finds this interesting, feel free to start a conversation thread. I would like to hear from people who know something about this field of study.

Omai

This topic can also be found under Bioethics