sociobiology

n. Sociobiology is a synthesis of data and theory related to the biological basis of social behavior that originated with the publication in 1975 of Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by E. O. Wilson. Sociobiology focused on animal societies, their population structure, forms of communication, and the physiological and genetic basis of the adaptations underlying social behavior. Sociobiology also drew extensively from the literature on population genetics, life history theory (the theory of the determinants of age-graded fertility and survivorship), ethology (i.e., the study of animal behavior from an evolutionary perspective), and behavioral ecology (i.e., the study of how behavior is adapted to ecological context). At the level of theory, sociobiology is an heir of the neo-Darwinian synthesis among evolution by natural selection, Mendelian genetics, and population genetics. At the core of sociobiology is W. D. Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness, showing that genes are selected for their beneficial effects not only on the reproductive success of individuals but also on their relatives. Indeed, the fundamental theoretical problem of sociobiology is the problem of altruism: why would animals sometimes sacrifice their own fitness for the benefit of others? According to Wilson, the answer was inclusive fitness: animals increase their own inclusive fitness by helping their relatives, even at a cost to themselves. In addition, sociobiology drew on the theoretical contributions of Robert Trivers, particularly parental investment theory and parent-offspring conflict theory.

Wilson's synthesis led to a deluge of theoretical and empirical research in the social behavior of animals based on inclusive fitness models and the other theoretical strands of sociobiology. This research has continued unabated and has confirmed the power of the sociobiological synthesis.

The main controversy over sociobiology has resulted from attempts to understand human behavior and social structure in terms of the sociobiological synthesis. Wilson himself envisioned the humanities and social sciences as eventually being subsumed as branches of biology in a unified science of human behavior. In fact, research on humans stemming from the theoretical insights of sociobiology has continued apace. This movement has led to journals, books, and academic societies devoted to the study of evolution and human behavior, including evolutionary psychology, human ethology, human behavioral ecology, evolutionary sociology, political science, and evolutionary perspectives in literature and 
the arts. – KM

▶ See also EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY and PARENTAL INVESTMENT THEORY