MCFC PATTERN X “Genes may guide us — but they don’t define us.”

 A

Andrew Thomas call the males-compete/females-choose (or MCFC)

pattern.19 This is a common pattern among the animals, but it’s not the only

one. Importantly, though, the same variable that explains the MCFC pattern

– maximum offspring number – also explains the others.

A

Here’s a ZIST (Zoom-In Summary Thought) for this insightful excerpt from The Ape That Understood the Universe:

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🧬 ZIST: The Individual ≠ Its Genes — Culture Matters Too

• Core Idea:
  The individual is not a puppet of its genes. Genes are important, but they’re just one part of a complex system that shapes behavior.

• Fallacy Called Out:
  It's a mistake (fallacy) to assume that individuals are their genes, or that genes directly dictate everything an individual does (a view sometimes called "genetic determinism").

• Analogy with Culture:
  If we wouldn't say a person is their culture, why assume they are their genes?
  ➤ Both genes and culture influence behavior, but neither defines the whole person.

• Altruism Through Culture:
  Cultures can encourage altruism just like genes might — not for the benefit of the individual per se, but to strengthen the culture (or society) itself.

• Big Picture:
  Human behavior is shaped by a web of causes — genes, environment, learning, social norms, personal experiences, and cultural evolution.

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💡 Implication:

“Genes may guide us — but they don’t define us.”

This challenges simplistic evolutionary explanations and supports a richer, more multi-level view of human nature, one where culture evolves too and plays a powerful role in shaping who we are.

Would you like a quick comparison between genetic evolution and cultural evolution next?