Darwin's Theory And The Way We Think About Our Lives Print E-mail
Science - Biological Sciences
Written by TS-Si News Service   
Monday, 03 December 2007 19:00
examples of evolution in everyday life
 
Darwin's Theory And The Way We Think About Our Lives
TS-Si Science Access
Binghamton, NY, USA. Evolution can be applied to almost every aspect of human life, according to David Sloan Wilson. His first book for a general audience argues that evolution is not just about human origins, dinosaurs and fossils.
 
Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution for non-experts.
 
He aims to entertain with wit, plain language, and anecdotes that can make you sit up straight and notice.
 
David Sloan Wilson, a distinguished professor of biological sciences with a joint appointment in anthropology at Binghamton University. Evolution, as Wilson explains it, is about why all species behave as they do — from beetles that devour their own young, to bees that function as a collective brain, to dogs that are smarter in some respects than our closest ape relatives. He explains phenomena as diverse as why beetles commit infanticide, why dogs have curly tails, and what microbes can tell us about morality.
 
And, he argues, basic evolutionary principles are also the foundation for humanity’s capacity for symbolic thought, culture, and morality. Why do people laugh and make art?
 
Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives. David Sloan Wilson. Delacorte Press: 2007. 400 pp. ISBN-10: 0385340214. ISBN-13: 978-0385340212.
Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives. David Sloan Wilson. Delacorte Press: 2007. 400 pp. ISBN-10: 0385340214. ISBN-13: 978-0385340212.
Wilson is convinced that evolution can become more widely accepted once its consequences for human welfare are appropriately understood. "When evolution is presented as unthreatening, explanatory, and useful, it can be easily grasped and appreciated by most people, regardless of their religious or political beliefs and without previous training," says Wilson.
 
Wilson uses evolutionary theory to study foraging behavior, altruism, and the nature of individual differences among organisms as diverse as microbes, zooplankton, insects, birds, fish, and humans. He is well known for his work on multilevel selection, in which the fundamental ingredients of evolution — variation, heritability, and fitness differences — can exist at all levels of the biological hierarchy.
 
Wilson’s research exemplifies the explanatory scope of evolutionary theory. His book is a distillation of his popular course of the same name. Originally trained as aquatic ecologist, he now publishes in anthropology, psychology, economics, and philosophy journals in addition to biological research. His book, "Darwin's Cathedral … (cited below), attempts to bridge the ultimate gap between evolutionary theory and religion.
 
“Unlike the futile controversy over creationism and intelligent design, my dialogue with religious scholars and believers is cordial and productive,” Wilson reports.
 
David Sloan Wilson is a distinguished professor of biological sciences with a joint appointment in anthropology at Binghamton University. He directs a campus-wide evolutionary studies program called EvoS that is being adopted by other universities. He is the author or editor of:
  • Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society;
     
  • Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin’s Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives;
     
  • Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior (coauthor with Elliott Sober);
     
  • The Literary Animal: Evolution and the Nature of Narrative — Rethinking Theory (coeditor with Jonathan Gottschall).
 
Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives. David Sloan Wilson. Delacorte Press: 2007. 400 pp. ISBN-10: 0385340214. ISBN-13: 978-0385340212.
 
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 December 2007 02:02