RETHINKING THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF SOCIOBIOLOGY

Il saggio è liberamente disponibile nel sito della rivista The Quarterly Review of Biology (December 2007, vol. 82, no. 4, pp. 327-348)RETHINKING THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF SOCIOBIOLOGYDavid Sloan Wilson Departments of Biology and Anthropology, Binghamton University Binghamton, New York 13902 USA dwilson@binghamton.eduEdward O. Wilson Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 USARiporto anche l’abstract:Current sociobiology is in theoretical […]

Il saggio è liberamente disponibile nel sito della rivista The Quarterly Review of Biology (December 2007, vol. 82, no. 4, pp. 327-348)
RETHINKING THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF SOCIOBIOLOGY
David Sloan Wilson
Departments of Biology and Anthropology, Binghamton University Binghamton, New York 13902 USA dwilson@binghamton.edu
Edward O. Wilson
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 USA
Riporto anche l’abstract:
Current sociobiology is in theoretical disarray, with a diversity of frameworks that are poorly related to each other. Part of the problem is a reluctance to revisit the pivotal events that took place during the 1960s, including the rejection of group selection and the development of alternative theoretical frameworks to explain the evolution of cooperative and altruistic behaviors. In this article, we take a “back to basics” approach, explaining what group selection is, why its rejection was regarded as so important, and how it has been revived based on a more careful formulation and subsequent research. Multilevel selection theory (including group selection) provides an elegant theoretical foundation for sociobiology in the future, once its turbulent past is appropriately understood.

D.S Wilson ha anche da poco aperto un proprio Blog dove troverete altre informazioni sull’autore

Sulla critica e revisione dei concetti della sociobiologia segnalo anche questi commenti ad un altro articolo di Wilson pubblicato su Bioscience, gennaio 2008, Evolution of Eusociality in Insects:
Dalla rivista Le Scienze:
Eusocialità e selezione di gruppo
L’attuale posizione di Wilson sull’eusocialità differisce da quella esposta nella sua opera pionieristica Sociobiologia. La nuova sintesi
Da Eureka:
Insects’ ‘giant leap’ reconstructed by founder of sociobiology
A survey of advanced social organization in insects calls into question the standard explanation for eusociality

…e dal Blog Ocasapiens della Coyaud.

 

Paolo Coccia