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Edward Osborne Wilson
Edward Osborne Wilson in October 16, 2007
Edward Osborne Wilson in October 16, 2007
Born June 10, 1929 (1929-06-10) (age 79)
Birmingham, Alabama U.S.
Institutions Harvard University
Alma mater University of Alabama
Harvard University

Edward Osborne Wilson (born June 10, 1929) is an American biologist (Myrmecology, a branch of entomology), researcher (sociobiology, biodiversity), theorist (consilience, biophilia), and naturalist (conservationism). Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Myrmecology (from Greek μύρμεξ myrmex, "ant" and λόγος logos, "knowledge" is the scientific study of Ants Entomology (from Greek grc ἔντομος entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented" hence "insect" and grc -λογία Sociobiology is a neo-Darwinian and Socialism Synthesis of Scientific disciplines that attempts to explain Social behavior Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. Consilience, or the unity of knowledge (literally a "jumping together" of knowledge has its roots in the ancient Greek concept of an Intrinsic The biophilia hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems Conservation can be confused with Conversation and vice versa

Wilson is known for his career as a scientist, his advocacy for environmentalism, and his secular humanist ideas concerned with religious and ethical matters. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds Reason, Ethics and Justice, and specifically rejects the Supernatural [1]

As of 2007 he is Pellegrino University Research Professor in Entomology for the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ( CSI) formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal ( CSICOP) is a He is a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. The Council for Secular Humanism (originally the Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, or CODESH) is a secular humanist organization headquartered

Contents

Biography

Wilson was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. According to his autobiography Naturalist, he grew up mostly around Washington, D.C. and in the countryside around Mobile, Alabama. Naturalist is an Autobiography by Naturalist, Entomologist, and Sociobiologist Edward O Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D From an early age, he was interested in natural history. His parents, Edward and Inez Wilson, divorced when he was seven, and in that same year, he damaged his eye in a fishing accident. The young naturalist grew up in several cities and towns, moving around with his father and his stepmother. His reduced ability to observe mammals and birds led him to concentrate on insects. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described At nine, Wilson undertook his first expeditions at the Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with Public park facilities that bisects Washington D At the age of 16, intent on becoming an entomologist, he began by collecting flies, but the shortage of insect pins caused by World War II caused him to switch to ants, which could be stored in vials. Entomology (from Greek grc ἔντομος entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented" hence "insect" and grc -λογία True flies are Insects of the Order Diptera ( Greek: di = two and pteron = wing possessing a single pair of Ants are social Insects of the family Formicidae and along with the related families of Wasps and Bees belong to the order With the encouragement of Marion R. Smith, a myrmecologist from the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, Wilson began a survey of all the ants of Alabama. The National Museum of Natural History is a Natural history Museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America.

Concerned that he might not be able to afford to go to a university, Wilson attempted to enlist in the United States Army. His plan was to earn U. S. government financial support for his education, but he failed his Army medical examination due to his impaired eyesight. Wilson was able to afford to enroll in the University of Alabama after all. There, he earned his B. S. and M. S. degrees, and then he earned his Ph. D. degree from the Harvard University.

Theories and beliefs

Sociobiology

Wilson defines sociobiology as "the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior. Sociobiology is a neo-Darwinian and Socialism Synthesis of Scientific disciplines that attempts to explain Social behavior " By applying the evolutionary principles which went a long way to explaining the behavior of the social insects to understanding the social behavior of animals, including humans, Wilson established sociobiology as a new scientific field. He argued that all animal behavior, including humans, is the product of heredity and environmental stimuli/past experiences and free will is an illusion. The question of free will He has referred to the biological basis of behaviour as the "genetic leash. "[2] The sociobiological view is that all animal social behavior is governed by epigenetic rules worked out by the laws of evolution. In Biology, the term epigenetics refers to changes in Gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 This theory and research proved to be seminal, controversial, and influential. [3]

The controversy of sociobiological research is in how it applies to humans. The theory established a scientific argument for rejecting the common doctrine of tabula rasa, which holds that human beings are born without any innate mental content and that culture functions to increase human knowledge and aid in survival and success. Tabula rasa ( Latin: blank slate) refers to the epistemological thesis that individual human beings are born with no built-in mental content In the final chapter of the book Sociobiology and in the full text of his Pulitzer Prize-winning On Human Nature, Wilson argues that the human mind is shaped as much by genetic inheritance as it is by culture (if not more). The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, On Human Nature is a 1979 Pulitzer prize -winning book by the Harvard biologist E There are limits on just how much influence social and environmental factors can have in altering human behavior.

Ants and Social Insects

Wilson along with Bert Hölldobler has done a systematic study of ants and ant behavior, culminating in their encyclopedic work The Ants (1990). Bert Hölldobler (born June 10, 1936) is a German Myrmecologist who is a co-winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his work on The Ants is a Pulitzer Prize -winning book written in 1990, by E Because much self-sacrificing behavior on the part of individual ants can be explained on the basis of their genetic interests in the survival of the sisters, with whom (it was thought at the time) they share 75% of their genes, Wilson was led to argue for a sociobiological explanation for all social behavior on the model of the behavior of the social insects. (It turns out that because queens mate more than once, the 75% number is too high, though suggestive for selfish-gene explanations. ) In his more recent work he has sought to defend his views against the criticism of younger scientists such as Deborah Gordon, whose results challenge the idea that ant behavior is as rigidly predictable as Wilson's explanations make it. Deborah Gordon (born 1955 is a biologist at Stanford University, profiled in the New York Times Magazine

Consilience

In his 1998 book Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, Wilson discusses methods that have been used to unite the sciences, and might be able to unite the sciences with the humanities. Consilience The Unity of Knowledge is a 1998 book by biologist E Wilson prefers and uses the term consilience to describe the synthesis of knowledge from different specialized fields of human endeavor. Consilience, or the unity of knowledge (literally a "jumping together" of knowledge has its roots in the ancient Greek concept of an Intrinsic He defines human nature as a collection of epigenetic rules; the genetic patterns of mental development. Human nature is the concept that there are a set of logical characteristics including ways of thinking feeling and acting that all 'normal' human beings have in common In Biology, the term epigenetics refers to changes in Gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence He argues that culture and rituals are products, not parts, of human nature. He says art is not part of human nature, but our appreciation of art is. Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual He argues that concepts such as art appreciation, fear of snakes, or the incest taboo (Westermarck effect) can be studied using scientific methods. Incest refers to any sexual activity between closely related persons (often within the immediate family that is illegal or socially Taboo. A taboo is a strong Social prohibition (or ban) against words objects actions or discussions that are considered undesirable or offensive by a group culture This article is about the psychological term For other meanings see Imprinting. Previously, these phenomena were only part of psychological, sociological or anthropological studies. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of Wilson proposes that they can be part of interdisciplinary research.

The Unit and Target of Selection

Wilson has argued that the "unit of selection is a gene, the basic element of heredity. A unit of selection is a biological entity within the hierarchy of biological organisation (e The target of selection is normally the individual who carries an ensemble of genes of certain kinds. " With regards to the use kin selection in explaining the behavior of eusocial insects, Wilson said to Discover magazine, the "new view that I'm proposing is that it was group selection all along, an idea first roughly formulated by Darwin. From the time of antiquity field biologists have observed that some organisms tend to exhibit strategies that favor the reproductive success of their relatives even at a cost to their own survival Eusociality ( Greek eu: "good" + "social" is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Discover is a Science magazine that publishes articles about Science for a general audience In Evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that Alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups regardless "[4]

Spiritual and political beliefs

Scientific humanism

Wilson coined the phrase scientific humanism as "the only worldview compatible with science's growing knowledge of the real world and the laws of nature". A comprehensive world view (or worldview) is a term Calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ( Welt is the German [5] Wilson argues that it is best suited to improve the human condition.

God and religion

On the question of God, Wilson has described his position as provisional deism. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. [6] He has explained his faith as a trajectory away from traditional beliefs: "I drifted away from the church, not definitively agnostic or atheistic, just Baptist & Christian no more. Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the Atheism "[2] Wilson argues that the belief in God and rituals of religion are products of evolution. [7] He argues that they should not be rejected or dismissed, but further investigated by science to better understand their significance to human nature. In his book The Creation, Wilson suggests that scientists "offer the hand of friendship" to religious leaders and build an alliance with them, stating that "Science and religion are two of the most potent forces on Earth and they should come together to save the creation. "[8]

Ecology

Wilson has studied the mass extinctions of the 20th century and their relationship to modern society, arguing strongly for an ecological approach:

Now when you cut a forest, an ancient forest in particular, you are not just removing a lot of big trees and a few birds fluttering around in the canopy. An extinction event (also known as mass extinction; extinction-level event, ELE is a sharp decrease in the number of Species in a relatively short period Ancient Woodland Old growth forest, (also termed primary forest, ancient forest, virgin forest, primeval forest, frontier A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The canopy is one of the uppermost levels of a Forest, below the emergent layer, formed by the Tree crowns Canopy trees refers to the trees You are drastically imperiling a vast array of species within a few square miles of you. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. The number of these species may go to tens of thousands. . . . Many of them are still unknown to science, and science has not yet discovered the key role undoubtedly played in the maintenance of that ecosystem, as in the case of fungi, microorganisms, and many of the insects. An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described (E. O. Wilson, 2000)

His understanding of the scale of the extinction crisis has led him to advocate a number of strategies for forest protection, including the Forests Now Declaration, which calls for new markets-based mechanisms to protect tropical forests. The Forests Now Declaration is a declaration that calls for a number of new market-based mechanisms to protect tropical forests

Criticism of human sociobiology

Wilson experienced significant criticism for his sociobiological views. Several of Wilson's colleagues at Harvard, such as Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould, were vehemently opposed to his ideas regarding sociobiology. Richard Charles "Dick" Lewontin (born March 29, 1929) is an American Evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science Marshall Sahlins's work The Use and Abuse of Biology was a direct criticism of Wilson's theories. Marshall David Sahlins (born December 27, 1930, Chicago, Illinois is a prominent American Anthropologist.

Wilson's sociobiological ideas have offended some liberals and conservatives, who both favored the idea that human behavior was culturally based. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined Sociobiology re-ignited the nature versus nurture debate, and Wilson's scientific perspective on human nature led to public debate. The nature versus nurture debates concern the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature" i He was accused of racism, misogyny, and eugenics. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that Misogyny (mɪˈsɒdʒɪni is hatred (or contemptof women Misogyny is parallel to Misandry — the hatred of men Eugenics is a social Philosophy which advocates the improvement of Human Hereditary traits through various forms of intervention [9] In one incident, members of the International Committee Against Racism (a group connected to a left-wing organization Science for the People) poured a pitcher of water on Wilson's head and chanted "Wilson, you're all wet" at a conference in November 1977. Science for the People is a left-wing organization that emerged from the antiwar culture of the [10]

Awards and honors

Wilson's scientific and conservation honors include:

Main works

Footnotes

  1. ^ Novacek, Michael J. (2001). Lifetime achievement: E.O. Wilson. CNN. com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
  2. ^ a b E. O. Wilson, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, New York, Knopf, 1998, pp. 127-128.
  3. ^ Wolfe, Tom (1996). Sorry, But Your Soul Just Died. Vol. 158, Issue 13, pp. 210ff. Forbes
  4. ^ Richard Conniff "Discover Interview: E.O. Wilson" June 25, 2006.
  5. ^ in Harvard Magazine December 2005 p 33.
  6. ^ The Creation
  7. ^ Human Nature
  8. ^ Naturalist E.O. Wilson is optimistic Harvard Gazette June 15, 2006
  9. ^ Douglas, Ed (2001). Darwin's Natural Heir. Guardian Unlimitied.
  10. ^ Wilson, Edward O. (1995). Naturalist (autobiography)
  11. ^ Wilson, E. O. (2002). E. O. Wilson On Boy Scouts, Blade Runner, and Huck Finn. Science & Spirit. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
  12. ^ Distinguished Eagle Scouts. Troop & Pack 179. Retrieved on 2006-03-02. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good

See also

External links

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