The Triumph of Sociobiology

Abstract

Abstract As we have seen in previous chapters, sociobiologists have faced a whole range of charges, including claims that they are reductionist determinists intent on finding a gene for every human action, ultra-Darwinians incapable of grasping that evolution is influenced by more than natural selection, purveyors of just-so stories ready to accept the wildest speculation at the drop of a hat, or socially irresponsible pseudoscientists at best, reactionary neo-Nazis at worst, whose views in either case could contaminate the body politic, a risk that makes all manner of opposition morally appropriate, indeed imperative. Not one of these claims is correct. In reality, sociobiologists do not commit the sin of genetic or biological determinism because they explore the ultimate, not proximate, causes of behavior. In fact, they could not study “genetically determined” behavior even if they wanted to because it does not exist, nor do they seek out genes “for” particular behaviors. Instead, they make use of a particular evolutionary perspective, the adaptationist approach, to examine the possible contribution of interesting traits to the genetic success of individuals (not the survival of the species).

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