Sociobiology
Field explaining social behavior via evolution and natural selection.
Social behavior in evolutionary terms is what the biological field of sociobiology seeks to explain.[1]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Biology, evolutionary theory
- Key contributors
- E. O. Wilson
- John Paul Scott
- Stuart A. Altmann
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Scott organized annual paper sessions on "Animal Behavior and Sociobiology" at joint meetings of scientific societies.[2] Wilson's sociobiology drew on mathematical models of social behavior centered on the maximization of genetic fitness.[3] Edward H. Hagen writes that sociobiology is "one of the scientific triumphs of the twentieth century."[4][5] Hagen adds that "Sociobiology is now part of the core research and curriculum of virtually all biology departments."[4][5]
In 1956, the Ecological Society of America established a "Section of Animal Behavior and Sociobiology."[6] Through his PhD student Stuart A. Altmann, E. O. Wilson first encountered this developing sociobiology in 1956.[3] E. O. Wilson's 1975 book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis was the event that brought the concept widespread recognition.[7] That book was a pioneering effort to explain the evolutionary mechanics behind altruism, aggression, and nurturance.[8]
Scientific controversy quickly surrounded the field.[7]
What the research sources say
Scott organized two key conferences at Bar Harbor, one on "Genetics and Social Behavior" in 1946 and the other on "The Effects of Early Experience on Mental Health" in 1951.[2] Scott and Fuller's classic Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog was published in 1965.[2] Scott's Animal Behavior (1958) was an important early textbook in the field.[2] According to sociobiologists, natural selection can partly explain the behavior of both humans and other animals.[9][10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Sociobiology" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wilson, "Sociobiology: The New Synthesis", Harvard University Press, 2000-03-24, p. 397–437; Nielsen, "Sociobiology and Sociology", Annual Review of Sociology, 1994, p. 267–303; de Sousa, "The sociology of sociobiology", International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 1990-01-01, p. 271–283 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "The Life of J.P. Scott", Bowling Green State University. facts only, no text reused. bgsu.edu
- Wikipedia, "Sociobiology" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dobzhansky, "Are Naturalists Old-Fashioned?", The American Naturalist, September 1966, p. 541–550 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sociobiology" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hagen, "The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology", John Wiley & Sons, 2005, p. 145–173; Hagen, "The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology", John Wiley & Sons, 2005, p. 145–173; Hagen, "The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology", John Wiley & Sons, 2005, p. 145–173; Hagen, "The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology", John Wiley & Sons, 2005, p. 145–173 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780471264033 ("The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- Wikipedia, "Sociobiology" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Life of J.P. Scott", Bowling Green State University (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sociobiology" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wilson, "Rethinking The Theoretical Foundation of Sociobiology", The Quarterly Review of Biology, 2007, p. 327–348 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sociobiology" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Walsh, "All-Time 100 Nonfiction Books", 17 August 2011 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sociobiology" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mohammed, "The Genetics of African Populations in Health and Disease", 2019, p. 217–232; Mohammed, "The Genetics of African Populations in Health and Disease", 2019, p. 217–232 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9781139680295 ("Genetics of African Populations in Health and Disease"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sociobiology (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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