Human nature and altruism in Edward Wilson’s Sociobiology: the new synthesis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2178-6224v16i2p262-281Keywords:
History of Biology, Edward Wilson, Sociobiology, Altruism, DarwinismAbstract
The concept of human nature is the subject of discussion among specialists in the human and natural sciences. An unavoidable landmark of the debate is Edward Wilson’s Sociobiology: the new synthesis and his Darwinian interpretation of human behaviour. This paper investigates the author’s main theoretical instruments and scientific knowledge to perform this kind of interpretation. We argue that Wilson aims to dialogue with specialists from other areas and biologize the humanities. We will explore in particular how the author explains human nature from the altruism-egoism dilemma. We identified that Wilson’s analysis of human behaviour takes the form of premises and inferences involving ubiquity, genetic origin, adaptation and mathematical treatment.
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