The Triumph of Sociobiology

Has sociobiology triumphed? I am afraid yes, in all its forms. Doesn't matter whether you call it sociobiology or evolutionary ecology, animal behavior, evolutionary psychology, etc., the underlying principle, the neo-Darwinian perspective to explain the evolution of organisms, including their social behavior has become paradigm. There is no more debate as it happened in the 70s and 80s. Actually this book doesn't refer much to such debate. This book is basically a review of the state of the art of animal social behavior from the neo-Darwinian perspective. In that sense the book largely succeeds in making you understand what the state of this art is. Perhaps the best quality of this book is that it helps to clearly distinguish the meaning and differences of proximate and ultimate causes. Once you understand the division it will change the way you see your everyday life. You will be more indulgent with apparently stupid human behaviors, but also stronger to get free of the iron claw of the proximate causes. Alcock's narrative is clear and comprehensible, and you don't need any strong background in biology to understand the contents. If you happen to have such background you won't find yourself bored with redundancies. Chapters eight and nine, dedicated to human culture and the practical applications of sociobiology have some wonderful parts. For instance, I was especially delighted reading about the effect of eye-contact-policies by checkout workers in a big supermarket chain and the too-positive response of male clients. At the end you will find an interesting list of selected references. I find it a really good selection, and I also liked that is a short list, only the most interesting books from the field. This was a necessary book, and Alcock did it well. I recommend you read it!

The main characteristic of this work is the laudable clarity with which Alcock explains some difficult ideas--even this novice achieved a distinct feeling that he had assimilated a valuable method for understanding human behavior. In a field whose rivals such as theology, Marxism, deconstructionism, and such pseudo-sciences as psychoanalysis, which are governed by an unquenchable thirst for obscure jargon and a perverse interest in counter-intuitive concepts, Alcock shows that ordinary language can be used to explicate a powerful scientific theory that can be understood by anyone ready to reject the politically correct dogmas that are so forcefully projected by the mass media and the relics of the past, such as Stephen Jay Gould.The book is well organized, and gives a clear picture of where the methods and findings of sociobiology stand today. It covers many interesting case studies that are good examples showing how it is a scientific field, with all the trappings of fresh insights, tested hypotheses, voluminous data, clearly stated methods, and all the excitement that comes with a field progressing rapidly through the research of hundreds of honest investigators. Alcock is perhaps at his strongest when he responds to the attacks on the field in a measured and powerful cadence of common sense. Understanding human behavior is a field that everyone believes himself to be expert in, but is unfortunately filled with a baggage of historical nonsense and politically inspired biases. It is at once "the proper study of man" and the playground of charlatans. Seeing the progress that the science of sociobiology has made in the last thirty years, generates a feeling that must be much like that experienced by the people of the late 18th century, who saw chemistry replace alchemy.

Is EPM an element in your life? Extra-Pair Mating is but one of many animal behaviour traits examined by John Alcock in this excellent overview of research in sociobiology. Many species of birds have been typified as monogamous - pairing for life, or during a mating season. Alcock cites avian studies that modify that picture. Red-winged Blackbird females will flit from the nest to take up with a different male although remaining partnered with her original mate. Alcock stresses that without the research spurred by Edward O. Wilson's 1975 book, Sociobiology, The New Synthesis, we would never have discovered this novel avian behaviour. He goes on to show even more unexpected traits in birds, such as warblers whose offspring remain in the nest area to assist in supporting the next clutch of hatchlings. These birds, faced with varying available resources actually possess the means to control the sex of their offspring depending on forecast needs.Don't mistake the title of this book. "Triumph" is not a victory celebration, it's a paean to the successful maturing of a young science. Many of the studies, superbly related in this book, show how much the depth of knowledge has increased since Wilson's appeal. Alcock shows how sociobiology, instead of being a "revolution" as many of its critics tag it, is in reality the fulfillment of Darwin's original premise. Wilson defined the discipline as "the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behaviour." To Alcock, that means seeking the role natural selection played in shaping the evolution of the particular social behaviour under study. Alcock relates how this foundation has led to inquiries and results rarely or never considered prior to Wilson's call for this type of study. Nor is the work confined to birds. Insects, spiders, mountain goats, chimpanzees and other animal life are covered. Nor are the botanists overlooked - plant reproductive strategies are also examined. The key phrase throughout is "adaptation" and its role in evolution. Anyone wishing to gain insight into the way life adapts to conditions will find this book a priceless treasure. Alcock must spend time dealing with the critics of sociobiology because they have reached such a broad public audience. Gould's pernicious attacks are a particular concern of Alcock's since the Harvard paleontologist's adroit turn of phrase has deceived many unwary readers. Gould's mantle as "the pope of paleontology" has allowed him to characterize studies of adaptation as expressions of "Darwinian fundamentalism." This oft-repeated phrase, plus his characterization of "just so stories" to studies he disapproves of, have made the lot of several young researchers difficult. Alcock recounts one case in which an admittedly tentative field study was the target of Gould's vituperation. The long career of Gould's irrational attacks on sociobiology are analysed, then gently dismembered by Alcock. If for no other reason, this book

Sociobiology is the application of the principles of evolutionary biology to humans. Since we are a biological species that has evolved an extremely powerful form of sociality, how could a scientist studying human society NOT be a sociobiologist? The answer to this question is simple, and is well laid out by Alcock: if the human brain has evolved into a general purpose instrument on which knowledge, culture, and behavioral norms can be written as though it were a blank slate, then there would be no need to study the biology of social behavior. Despite the overwhelming evidence against the blank slate belief---an impressive amount of the evidence is carefully presented and clearly explained by Alcock---many social scientists and science journalists refuse to believe it.Alcock makes a valiant attempt to show that the reasons given for rejecting sociobiology are specious. The most important scientific critique is that we need powerful and accurate models of human behavior, not simply vague and unprovable evolutionary just-so stories purporting to explain human behavior. Alcock shows that evolutionary thinking provides an incredibly rich source of hypotheses concerning behavior, so is the essential basis for conceiving of plausible models of behavior. In no way does evolutionary thinking substitute for analytical model building and testing.But virtually all of the hostility to sociobiology is motivated not by scientific interests, but rather by political interests. Alcock exhibits skill and patience in both demonstrating the errors in reasoning in politically-motivated attacks on sociobiology, and showing that sociobiology is in fact neither hostile to nor partial to any particular political position. For instance, he explains that the fact that there is a natural explanation for certain immoral behaviors (e.g., neglecting stepchildren, male philandering, ethnocentrism) does not justify these behaviors or suggest that they are inevitable. I think, however, sociobiology does conflict with certain strongly held positions common on both the right and the left wings of the political spectrum. The hallmark of many politically committed people (and social theorists), I believe, is the belief in the attainability of a social utopia based on eradicating the social influences that lead to 'evil' behavior, and socializing people to conform to a utopian vision of behavior and belief. For such a vision to be possible, one must hold the 'blank slate' model that sociobiogists have shown not to exist. To my mind, this is the most important contribution of sociobiology to making a better world: utopian visions based on blank slate models of the human mind do not work and never will. Let's get on we making a better world with what we have: human nature as it is, not as we would have it be.

The Triumph of Sociobiology, by John Alcock, is an incredibly well argued peice of work. If you are at all interested in the ins and outs of the study of animal behavior this is the book to read. Of course the author's primary audience is, I think, other evolutionary biologists, it is fine for a layreader. The work masterfully exposes the particulars of sociobiology, what this branch of biology trys to do, what it is not trying to do, and in the process expertly roasts critics of the disipline. Of sociobiology's critics, Stephen J. Gould and Richard Lewontin are the ones Alcock choses to nail. And nail them he does. With ease even. The work is long overdue. It is a wonderful book, that is rich in information, not just on the state of the discipline of sociobiology, but also with information about the behavior of a great many animals. Wonderful, just wonderful.