ICCS06/David Sloan Wilson
From NECSIWiki
[edit] David Sloan Wilson
Professor
Departments of Biology and Anthropology
Binghamton University
ICCS Presentation Title: Rethinking the Theoretical Foundations of Sociobiology
Sociobiology is based upon the rejection of group selection in the 1960’s and the acceptance of alternative theories to explain the evolution of cooperative and altruistic behaviors. These foundational events need to be reconsidered in the light of research during the last four decades. Group selection has become both theoretically plausible and empirically well supported. Moreover, the so-called alternative theories include the logic of multilevel selection within their own frameworks. It is necessary to go “back to basics” to understand the simple logic of multilevel selection, why group selection was rejected so strongly in the 1960’s, and how a new consensus can create a stronger foundation for sociobiology in the future.
