A historical dispute in the conceptual underpinnings of evolution is the validity of the gene centered view of evolution (Dawkins, 1989; Sober and Lewontin, 1982). We transcend this debate by formalizing the gene centered view as a dynamic version of the mean field approximation. This establishes the conditions under which it is applicable and when it is not. In particular, it breaks down for trait divergence which corresponds to symmetry breaking in evolving populations.
['Yaneer Bar-Yam']
Formalizing the gene centered view of evolution