Sociobiology: The Abridged Edition [ABRIDGED] (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: social mechanisms, higher social insects, interdemic selection, The Social Species, Old World, Sarah Landry (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

E.O. Wilson defines sociobiology as "the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior," the central theoretical problem of which is the question of how behaviors that seemingly contradict the principles of natural selection, such as altruism, can develop. Sociobiology: A New Synthesis, Wilson's first attempt to outline the new field of study, was first published in 1975 and called for a fairly revolutionary update to the so-called Modern Synthesis of evolutionary biology. Sociobiology as a new field of study demanded the active inclusion of sociology, the social sciences, and the humanities in evolutionary theory. Often criticized for its apparent message of "biological destiny," Sociobiology set the stage for such controversial works as Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene and Wilson's own Consilience.

Sociobiology defines such concepts as society, individual, population, communication, and regulation. It attempts to explain, biologically, why groups of animals behave the way they do when finding food or shelter, confronting enemies, or getting along with one another. Wilson seeks to explain how group selection, altruism, hierarchies, and sexual selection work in populations of animals, and to identify evolutionary trends and sociobiological characteristics of all animal groups, up to and including man. The insect sections of the books are particularly interesting, given Wilson's status as the world's most famous entomologist.

It is fair to say that as an ecological strategy eusociality has been overwhelmingly successful. It is useful to think of an insect colony as a diffuse organism, weighing anywhere from less than a gram to as much as a kilogram and possessing from about a hundred to a million or more tiny mouths.

It's when Wilson starts talking about human beings that the furor starts. Feminists have been among the strongest critics of the work, arguing that humans are not slaves to a biological destiny, forever locked in "primitive" behavior patterns without the ability to reason past our biochemical nature. Like The Origin of Species, Sociobiology has forced many biologists and social scientists to reassess their most cherished notions of how animals work. --Therese Littleton

Review

When Sociobiology was published in 1975, our reviewer, John Pfeiffer, hailed it as 'an evolutionary event.' Since then, it has become the framework for a controversial new science--the study of the biological basis for social behavior in every species, from the lowliest amoeba colony to modern human behavior. This shortened version, retaining all of Sarah Landry's illuminating drawings, makes it more accessible to general readers. (New York Times Book Review )

A towering theoretical achievement of exceptional elegance...Like most great books, Sociobiology is unpedantic, lucid, and eminently accessible.
--Pierre L. van den Berghe (Contemporary Sociology )

The book enthralls and enchants...If you have this book...you can begin getting your mind ready for the illuminations about human society.
--Lewis Thomas (Harper's )

Rarely has the world been provided with such a splendid stepping stone for an exciting future of a new science.
--John Tyler Bonner (Scientific American )

Its contents do indeed provide a new synthesis, of wide perspective and great authority...Wilson's plain uncluttered prose is a treat to read, his logic is rigorous, his arguments are lucid.
--V. C. Wymne-Edwards (Nature )

This book will stand as a landmark in the comparative study of social behavior. (Quarterly Review of Biology )

Sociobiology is an excellent book, full of extraordinary insights, and replete with the beauty and poetry of the animal kingdom. (Times Literary Supplement )

It is impossible to leave Wilson's book without having one's sense of life permanently and dramatically widened.
--Fred Hapgood (The Atlantic )

Sociobiology, a new concept, is one with extraordinary potential value for understanding and explaining human behavior. (Practical Psychology )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press; Abridged edition (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674816242
• ISBN-13: 978-0674816244
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #238,238 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, May 26, 2002

By	Brian Swartz (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wilson really is one of the "twentieth centuries greatest thinkers." This is a dense and demanding publication requiring a scientifically literate audience. It covers basic concepts from altruism, selfishness, and spite; including communication, aggression, social roles, sex, and parenting from "invertebrates" to vertebrates.

Now, in 2007, this is really more of a 'classic'. For intro students, I'd first recommend getting your footing with "Animal Behavior" by Alcock, and *then progressing into more technically written publications like this one.

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars must read if intrested in zoology or evolution, May 11, 1999

By A Customer

an excellent book. although alot of parts may be hard to understand it is relatively easier than the unabridged version.

get this if your intrested in biology