A new evolutionary algorithm inspired by the selfish gene theory

Abstract

This paper proposes a new evolutionary algorithm inspired by the selfish gene theory, an interpretation of the Darwinian natural selection theory given by the biologist Richard Dawkins. In his theory the basic element of evolution is the gene, rather than the individual. The paper defines the selfish gene algorithm, which implements such a view of the evolution mechanism. The strongest and seemingly counter-intuitive assumption of the algorithm is discussed and an experiment that demonstrates its validity is reported. The approach was rested by implementing the selfish gene algorithm on a case study, and it provided better results than those given by a genetic algorithm on the same problem and with the same fitness function.