Sociobiology

Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and genetics. Sociobiology investigates social behaviors, such as mating patterns, territorial fights, pack hunting, and the hive society of social insects. It argues that just as selection pressure led to animals evolving useful ways of interacting with the natural environment, it led to the genetic evolution of advantageous social behavior.

History

The term "sociobiology" was popularized by Edward O. Wilson in his 1975 book, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. In the first part of the book, the author introduces the concept of sociobiology, in the rest of the book, he applies it to humans. Wilson's work was controversial, particularly his chapter on human sociobiology and its implications for ideologies of human nature.

Theory

Sociobiology is based on the premise that some behaviors (social and individual) are at least partly inherited and can be affected by natural selection. It begins with the idea that behaviors have evolved over time, similar to the way that physical traits are thought to have evolved. It predicts that animals will act in ways that have proven to be evolutionarily successful over time. This can, among other things, result in the formation of complex social processes conducive to evolutionary survival.

Criticism

Sociobiology has been a controversial field since its inception, with critics arguing that it reduces complex behaviors to simple genetic programming. Critics also argue that sociobiology oversimplifies the relationship between genetics and behavior, and ignores the influence of the environment on behavior.

See also

• Evolutionary psychology
• Behavioral ecology
• Human behavioral ecology

References

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