Sociobiology

Lore & Background

E. O. Wilson encountered this emerging field through his PhD student Stuart A. Altmann, who developed his own brand of sociobiology studying rhesus macaques. Wilson's sociobiology differed by drawing on mathematical models of genetic fitness from W. D. Hamilton, Robert Trivers, John Maynard Smith, and George R. Price. The final chapter addressed human behavior, leading to intense controversy. Critics including Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould argued that traits like aggressiveness could be explained by social environment rather than biology. Sociobiologists responded by pointing to the complex relationship between nature and nurture. Edward H. Hagen later wrote that sociobiology is 'one of the scientific triumphs of the twentieth century' and is now part of core research and curriculum in virtually all biology departments.

Reader's Guide

Sociobiology's significance lies in its attempt to extend evolutionary theory to social organization, arguing that behaviors such as mating patterns, territorial fights, and pack hunting are at least partly inherited and shaped by natural selection. Critics like Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould challenged the application to humans, while sociobiologists emphasized nature-nurture complexity. Despite public controversy, sociobiological research on nonhuman organisms has grown dramatically in top journals, and the term 'behavioral ecology' is often used as a substitute. The field's legacy includes influencing evolutionary psychology, human behavioral ecology, and providing a framework for understanding behaviors like altruism and aggression through genetic fitness. Studies of genetic mouse mutants, such as those involving the transcription factor FEV, illustrate the power of genes on behavior, though applying such explanations to complex human societies remains controversial.

Did You Know?

• Critics Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould argued that traits like aggressiveness could be explained by social environment rather than biology.