George R. Price
contemporaryPhilosophy of Biology1922 – 1975
George R. Price (1922–1975) was an American population geneticist and evolutionary theorist whose work fundamentally reshaped mathematical biology. He derived the Price equation, a general formulation of natural selection that unifies individual, kin, and group selection into a single framework. Late in life he converted to Christianity and gave away his possessions to the poor, dying by suicide in London in 1975.
Notable Achievements
1
Derived the Price equation, a general mathematical description of evolutionary change by selection and transmission
2
Collaborated with John Maynard Smith to formalize the concept of evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS)
3
Demonstrated that replicator dynamics do not necessarily converge to an evolutionarily stable state
4
Provided a multilevel-selection interpretation that reconciled Hamilton's inclusive fitness with group selection
5
Contributed a rigorous covariance formulation that became foundational to social evolution theory