Out with the “Old” and in with the “New”—The Evolution and Refinement of Sociobiological Theory

Abstract

Despite all that has been written about the subject of sociobiology during the nearly 10 years that have passed since the appearance of E. O. Wilson’s justly canonized Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975), the subject is still beset by controversy and confusion. It is not at all clear exactly what the content is of sociobiological theory. Nor is it evident whether sociobiology constitutes a radical break with traditional inquiries into behavior in such fields as ethology and comparative psychology, or, is merely an extension of the models and approaches used in these fields. Nor is there yet much agreement over the implications of sociobiological theorizing for understanding human behavior in general, and, in particular, those moral and sociopolitical activities which are often cited (Sahlins, 1976) as paradigmatic examples of humankind’s freedom from biological limits and constraints. Thus, this essay will have three major if somewhat immodest aims. First, the basic tenets of what I will refer to as the “old” and “new” sociobiology will be presented and discussed. Second, a critical assessment will be made of the “new” sociobiology. And, finally, some effort will be made to explain why sociobiological theorizing has been and continues to be a source of controversy by examining the implications of current sociobiological theorizing for morality.