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When this classic work was first published in 1975, it created a new discipline and started a tumultuous round in the age-old nature versus nurture debate. Although voted by officers and fellows of the international Animal Behavior Society the most important book on animal behavior of all time, Sociobiology is probably more widely known as the object of bitter attacks by social scientists and other scholars who opposed its claim that human social behavior, indeed human nature, has a show more biological foundation. The controversy surrounding the publication of the book reverberates to the present day. In the introduction to this edition, Edward O. Wilson shows how research in human genetics and neuroscience has strengthened the case for a biological understanding of human nature. Human sociobiology, now often called evolutionary psychology, has in the last quarter of a century emerged as its own field of study, drawing on theory and data from both biology and the social sciences. For its still fresh and beautifully illustrated descriptions of animal societies, and its importance as a crucial step forward in the understanding of human beings, this anniversary edition of Sociobiology: the new synthesis will be welcomed by a new generation of students and scholars in all branches of learning. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
For me, one of the most exciting books ever written. Wilson is too bold in his intrdisciplinary claims, but the reach of this discipline is still vast. Beautiful drawings by Sarah Landry. How can one not adore a book that adds hundreds of terms to one's lexicon? (Tell me, if you can, the difference between a colony and an aggregation. E. O. can.)
I love this book, but one can go overboard on this stuff.
Didn't actually read, just scanned, as it is old after all. I do wish I'd read all these evolutionay biology books in order at the time. After the fact wasn't too helpful, especially independently.
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73+ Works 18,056 Members
He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1929. He is currently Pellegrino University Research Professor & Honorary Curator in Entomology of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. He is on the Board of Directors of the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International & the American Museum of Natural History. He lives in Lexington, Massachusetts. show more (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
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- Members
- 514
- Popularity
- 58,611
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.44)
- Languages
- English, Italian, Russian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 7
