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bookworm1387
Mar 01, 2015bookworm1387 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
From the perspective of its title, E. O. Wilson’s latest book was a letdown for me. However, from a biological perspective, it’s a fascinating read. Wilson drops a bombshell by rejecting the inclusive fitness theory as an evolutionary model for social behavioral traits. His description of the controversy provides a juicy story on the politics of science. Other strong points: an interesting synopsis of the evolution of the human mind, plus some informed speculations on the social behavior of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Disappointing aspects: Wilson is (rightly) against tampering with the human genome to “improve” human nature, but instead of using his scientific expertise to elaborate, he spends pages chastising religion and making condescending statements on the value of the humanities. In his mind, scientists are the true saviors of the world and scientists who fail to contribute to a more realistic world view are “intellectual dwarves content to stay within the narrow specialities for which they were trained”. Wilson is obviously not content to stay within his expertise. Instead of name-dropping theologians, Wilson might recognize his own messianic delusion by reading Niebuhr’s "Irony of American History". He might also learn how not to completely misinterpret Kierkegaard.