evolutionarily stable strategy

• evolutionary stable strategy

Coined by John Maynard Smith in his 1972 book Game Theory and The Evolution of Fighting.

• Audio (US)

  (file)

evolutionarily stable strategy (plural evolutionarily stable strategies)

1. (evolutionary theory) A strategy that, when adopted by a population, is effective and unlikely to be replaced by another strategy.
   • 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene

     To be an evolutionarily stable strategy, remember, a strategy must not be invadable, when it is common, by a rare mutant strategy.

   • 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene

     An evolutionarily stable strategy is a strategy that does well against copies of itself.

• Nash equilibrium
• game theory
• ESS