Edward O Wilson was an American biologist, naturalist and writer. He was born on June 10, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Inez Linnette Freeman and Edward Osborne Wilson.
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Wilson failed the Army medical examination due to his impaired eyesight, but was able to afford to enrol in the University of Alabama after all, and earned his B.S and M.S degree in biology there in 1950. In 1955, he received his PhD in 1955.
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From 1956 until 1966, Wilson was part of the faculty of Harvard. He began as an ant taxonomist and worked on understanding new species by escaping environmental disadvantages and moving into new habitats. He developed a theory of the taxon cycle.
Quotes
- People would rather believe than know
- Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.
- Karl Max was right, socialism works, it is just that he had the wrong species.
- You teach me, I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand.
- There is no better high than discovery.
Books
Edward O. Wilson wrote several books which includes;
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- The Ants
- On Human Nature
- Half-Earth
- The Diversity of Life
- Consilience
- Biophilia, etc
Intelligent Evolution
Edward O. Wilson contributed to intelligent evolution. That research led him to develop the concept of sociobiology, which explains social behaviour in terms of evolution and to make a major contribution to island biogeography, which became foundational for understanding the effects of habitat size on the diversity of species.
Sociobiology Theory
Edward Wilson used sociobiological and evolutionary principles to explain the behaviour of social insects and then to understand the social behaviour of the animals, including humans, this establishing sociobiology as a new scientific field.
He argued that all animal behaviour, including that of humans, is the product of experiences, and that free will is an illusion. He referred to the biological basis of behaviour as the genetic leash.
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