E. O. Wilson

Life

Edward Osborne Wilson was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1929. His passion for natural history began in childhood. He earned his BS and MS in biology from the University of Alabama in 1949 and 1950, respectively, and completed his PhD at Harvard University in 1955. He joined the Harvard faculty in 1956, where he remained for his entire career, becoming a University Research Professor and Curator in Entomology. He gained early fame for his comprehensive studies on ants, which established him as the world's leading myrmecologist. His scientific influence expanded dramatically with his role in developing sociobiology in the 1970s and his later advocacy for biodiversity and conservation.

People Who Influenced Their Thought

• Charles Darwin: Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is the absolute foundation for all of Wilson's work, from ant behavior to human society.
• William Morton Wheeler: This pioneering myrmecologist and Wilson's predecessor at Harvard inspired his deep, lifelong study of ants and social insects.
• Robert MacArthur: Wilson's collaboration with MacArthur on the theory of island biogeography, formalized in their 1967 book, revolutionized the field of ecology and provided a key scientific basis for conservation.

Main Ideas and Publications

• Sociobiology: The New Synthesis: Published in 1975, this monumental work unified evolutionary theory, zoology, and population biology to systematically explain the social behavior of animals, from insects to mammals, including a controversial final chapter on humans.
• Theory of Island Biogeography: Co-developed with Robert MacArthur and published in 1967, this theory predicts the number of species that will exist on a newly created island and became a cornerstone of conservation biology and the design of nature reserves.
• The Ants: Co-authored with Bert Hölldobler and published in 1990, this comprehensive work won the Pulitzer Prize and summarized a lifetime of research on ant biology and sociality.
• Biophilia: Introduced in his 1984 book of the same name, this hypothesis proposes that humans possess an innate tendency to focus on and affiliate with other forms of life.
• Consilience: The unity of knowledge, a concept he championed in his 1998 book Consilience, arguing for the integration of the sciences, humanities, and arts.

Controversies around his main work or thought

The publication of Sociobiology ignited one of the fiercest scientific debates of the 20th century. The final chapter, which suggested human social behaviors like altruism, aggression, and religiosity might have genetic underpinnings, was fiercely condemned by colleagues including Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin. They argued it was biological determinism that could justify existing social inequalities. Protesters famously dumped a pitcher of water on his head at a scientific conference. His later support for the theory of group selection (or multilevel selection) also placed him at odds with many mainstream evolutionary biologists who favored gene-centric views.

Key People Influenced by Their Thought

• Richard Dawkins: Though they famously debated the levels of selection (gene vs. group), Dawkins's The Selfish Gene was a response to the same field of social evolution that Wilson helped create.
• Steven Pinker: Pinker's work in evolutionary psychology is a direct intellectual descendant of the human sociobiology program that Wilson launched.
• David Sloan Wilson: The evolutionary biologist (no relation) became a leading proponent of group selection theory, heavily influenced and supported by E. O. Wilson's later work.
• A Generation of Conservation Biologists: Through his theory of island biogeography and his eloquent writings on biodiversity, Wilson inspired countless scientists and activists to pursue careers in conservation.

Legacy

He was one of the most celebrated biologists of the 20th century, who revolutionized our understanding of social behavior, founded the discipline of sociobiology, provided the scientific foundation for modern conservation, and became a powerful voice for the preservation of Earth's biodiversity.