> Don't know who wrote the above, but I would really appreciate references
> to the idea that said idea is ridiculed by serious theorists. AFAIK the
> most parsimonious (unit of reproduction and trait -- germ line? --
> replication) and hence preferred view is still individual selection.
Yes, I agree there is honest debate about this; however, I consider the data that supports the idea of group selection compelling. To get a little sociological, the dogmatic insistence that evolution must work solely at the individual level reflects our cultural infatuation with the autonomous individual. It's easy to take this criterion of parsimony too far: sometimes we need to add a little theoretical complexity to deal with the complexity of the world!
Miles