individual selection

an aspect of natural selection in which those traits of an individual that lead to increased reproductive success are more likely to appear in subsequent generations. The focus of individual selection is on the direct benefits to the individual; this contrasts with kin selection, in which those who assist their relatives receive indirect benefits.

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Psychology term of the day

January 28th 2025

deism

n. a type of natural religion associated chiefly with the 18th-century Enlightenment. It is based on the premise that a benevolent God will make sure that the knowledge necessary for human happiness is (a) universally available and (b) accessible to the intellectual powers natural to human beings. It follows that divine truth will conform to human reason and the evidence provided by the natural creation. Deism thus contrasts with revealed religion, which requires a divine revelation of truth beyond what is available by the light of nature. Most forms of deism hold that God created the universe and the natural laws that govern it but has since dispassionately and detachedly allowed it to run its course. Compare pantheism; theism. —deist adj., n.