David Sloan Wilson

Life

• David Sloan Wilson: Born in 1949, USA; earned BA from University of Rochester (1971) and PhD from Michigan State University (1975).
• Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University (since 1988).
• Founder of the Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program (2003).
• President of the Evolution Institute (2010-present), applying evolutionary theory to social issues.

People Who Influenced Their Thought

• Charles Darwin: Foundation of evolutionary theory.
• E.O. Wilson: Inspired multilevel selection approach.
• William D. Hamilton: Influenced thinking about group selection.

Main Ideas and Publications

• Evolution for Everyone: Published 2007, popularized evolutionary applications.
• Does Altruism Exist?: Published 2015, explored group selection.
• This View of Life: Published 2019, unifying evolutionary framework.
• Multilevel Selection Theory: Extended evolutionary theory beyond genes to groups/culture.

Key People Influenced by Their Thought

• Jonathan Haidt: Applied evolutionary theory to moral psychology.
• Martin Nowak: Collaborated on evolutionary dynamics.
• Peter Richerson: Worked on cultural evolution.

Conclusion

• David Sloan Wilson has revolutionized evolutionary theory by expanding selection to multiple levels while applying evolutionary thinking to solve real-world problems.