E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner a Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism Series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner a Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism Series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects

springer.com Paul Naour E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism Series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects The book utilizes an unpublished conversation between B.F. Skinner and E.O. Wilson in 1987 as a springboard to lead readers to a more integrated view of behaviorism and sociobiology Reviewers have characterized Paul Naour's A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism, which includes brief introductions by E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner's elder daughter, Julie Vargus, as an idea book. The work will undoubtedly have a significant academic market and provide students and scholars in biology, ethology, psychology, anthropology, sociology and economics a strong foundation in twentieth century history and systems. Praise for A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism: - E.O. Wilson says of the book: ". excellent, an outstanding addition to the history of ideas. It will put Fred Skinner back in the pantheon and, providing context, serve as an excellent introduction to the content and central truths in radical behaviorism. Needless to say, I'm also grateful to have my work following Sociobiology 2009, XIX, 138 p. 25 illus. given proper attention." -David Sloan Wilson, author of Darwin’s Cathedral writes: "E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner agreed that the human capacity for change is both a product of genetic Printed book evolution and an evolutionary process in its own right. Yet, the paradigms of sociobiology and Hardcover radical behaviorism went in very different directions. Paul Naour's insightful analysis of a taped conversation between Wilson and Skinner goes beyond the historical significance of the 169,99 € | £149.99 | $219.99 [1]181,89 € (D) | 186,99 € (A) | CHF conversation and helps to integrate the two paradigms for the future." -Carl Haywood writes: 200,50 "The present question is whether evolution by natural selection is a useful set of concepts for the development of psychology. Naour’s proposed confluence of radical behaviorism and Softcover sociobiology suggests not only that it is, but also that radical behaviorism shares with 149,52 € | £109.99 | $169.99 sociobiology a debt and an allegiance to Darwinism." [1]159,99 € (D) | 164,47 € (A) | CHF 176,50 eBook 117,69 € | £87.50 | $129.00 [2]117,69 € (D) | 117,69 € (A) | CHF 141,00 Available from your library or springer.com/shop MyCopy [3] Printed eBook for just € | $ 24.99 springer.com/mycopy Order online at springer.com / or for the Americas call (toll free) 1-800-SPRINGER / or email us at: [email protected]. / For outside the Americas call +49 (0) 6221-345-4301 / or email us at: [email protected]. The first € price and the £ and $ price are net prices, subject to local VAT. Prices indicated with [1] include VAT for books; the €(D) includes 7% for Germany, the €(A) includes 10% for Austria. Prices indicated with [2] include VAT for electronic products; 19% for Germany, 20% for Austria. All prices exclusive of carriage charges. Prices and other details are subject to change without notice. All errors and omissions excepted. [3] No discount for MyCopy. Part of .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Bringing in Darwin Bradley A. Thayer
Bringing in Darwin Bradley A. Thayer Evolutionary Theory, Realism, and International Politics Efforts to develop a foundation for scientiªc knowledge that would unite the natural and social sci- ences date to the classical Greeks. Given recent advances in genetics and evolu- tionary theory, this goal may be closer than ever.1 The human genome project has generated much media attention as scientists reveal genetic causes of dis- eases and some aspects of human behavior. And although advances in evolu- tionary theory may have received less attention, they are no less signiªcant. Edward O. Wilson, Roger Masters, and Albert Somit, among others, have led the way in using evolutionary theory and social science to produce a synthesis for understanding human behavior and social phenomena.2 This synthesis posits that human behavior is simultaneously and inextricably a result of evo- lutionary and environmental causes. The social sciences, including the study of international politics, may build upon this scholarship.3 In this article I argue that evolutionary theory can improve the realist theory of international politics. Traditional realist arguments rest principally on one of two discrete ultimate causes, or intellectual foundations. The ªrst is Reinhold Niebuhr’s argument that humans are evil. The second is grounded in the work Bradley A. Thayer is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota—Duluth. I am grateful to Mlada Bukovansky, Stephen Chilton, Christopher Layne, Michael Mastanduno, Roger Masters, Paul Sharp, Alexander Wendt, Mike Winnerstig, and Howard Wriggins for their helpful comments. I thank Nathaniel Fick, David Hawkins, Jeremy Joseph, Christopher Kwak, Craig Nerenberg, and Jordana Phillips for their able research assistance.
[Show full text]
DANIEL DENNETT and the SCIENCE of RELIGION Richard F
DANIEL DENNETT AND THE SCIENCE OF RELIGION Richard F. Green Department of Mathematics and Statistics University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN 55812 ABSTRACT Daniel Dennett (2006) recently published a book, “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon,” which advocates the scientific study of religion. Dennett is a philosopher with wide-ranging interests including evolution and cognitive psychology. This talk is basically a review of Dennett’s religion book, but it will include comments about other work about religion, some mentioned by Dennett and some not. I will begin by describing my personal interest in religion and philosophy, including some recent reading. Then I will comment about the study of religion, including the scientific study of religion. Then I will describe some of Dennett’s ideas about religion. I will conclude by trying outlining the ideas that should be considered in order to understand religion. This talk is mostly about ideas, particularly religious beliefs, but not so much churches, creeds or religious practices. These other aspects of religion are important, and are the subject of study by a number of disciplines. I will mention some of the ways that people have studied religion, mainly to provide context for the particular ideas that I want to emphasize. I share Dennett’s reticence about defining religion. I will offer several definitions of religion, but religion is probably better defined by example than by attempting to specify its essence. A particular example of a religion is Christianity, even more particularly, Roman Catholicism. MOTIVATION My interest in philosophy and religion I. Beginnings I read a few books about religion and philosophy when I was in high school and imagined that college would be full of people arguing about religion and philosophy.
[Show full text]
An Introduction to Sociobiology: Inclusive Fitness and the Core Genome Herbert Gintis
An Introduction to Sociobiology: Inclusive Fitness and the Core Genome Herbert Gintis June 29, 2013 The besetting danger is ...mistaking part of the truth for the whole...in every one of the leading controversies...both sides were in the right in what they affirmed, though wrong in what they denied John Stuart Mill, On Coleridge, 1867 A Mendelian populationhas a common gene pool, whichis itscollective or corporate genotype. Theodosius Dobzhansky, Cold Springs Harbor Symposium, 1953. The interaction between regulator and structural genes... [reinforces] the concept that the genotype of the individual is a whole. Ernst Mayr, Populations, Species and Evolution, 1970 Abstract This paper develops inclusive fitness theory with the aim of clarifying its appropriate place in sociobiological theory and specifying the associated principles that render it powerful. The paper introduces one new concept, that of the core genome. Treating the core genome as a unit of selection solves problems concerning levels of selection in evolution. 1 Summary Sociobiology is the study of biological interaction, both intragenomic, among loci in the genome, and intergenomic, among individuals in a reproductive popula- tion (Gardner et al. 2007). William Hamilton (1964) extended the theory of gene frequencies developed in the first half of the Twentieth century (Crow and I would like to thank Samuel Bowles, Eric Charnov, Steven Frank, Michael Ghiselin, Peter Godfrey-Smith, David Haig, David Queller, Laurent Lehmann, Samir Okasha, Peter Richerson, Joan Roughgarden, Elliot Sober, David Van Dyken, Mattijs van Veelen and Edward O. Wilson for advice in preparing this paper. 1 Kimura 1970, Bürger 2000, Provine 2001) to deal with such behavior.
[Show full text]
David Sloan Wilson's Multilevel Explanation
Evolution, Mind and Behaviour 13(2015), 53–55 DOI: 10.1556/2050.2015.0005 ALTRUISM FOUND: DAVID SLOAN WILSON’S MULTILEVEL EXPLANATION A review of Does Altruism Exist? Culture, Genes, and the Welfare of Others by David Sloan Wilson. New Haven: Yale University Press (2015). 180 pages. ISBN 978-0-300-18949-0 (hbk). 1 2 JOSEPH J. AVERY AND ELEANOR MUSE 1Charlottesville, VA USA 2New York University, New York, NY USA In Does Altruism Exist? Culture, Genes, and the Welfare of Others, David Sloan Wilson, Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropol- ogy at Binghamton University, takes up the debate concerning multilevel natu- ral selection. Biologists usually explain evolution of traits and behaviors by re- course to natural selection at the level of genes. Multilevel selection, of which Wilson is a proponent, posits natural selection not just at the level of genes, but at the level of organisms, populations, species, and so on. According to Wilson, the ‘central problem of sociobiology’ (p. 21) is how to explain the evolution of group-level functional organization on the basis of natural selection, given that natural selection within groups tends to undermine group-level functionality. If selfish organisms outcompete altruists, why do any altruists remain? Wilson vacillates between different definitions of altruism. He begins with one shorn of cost considerations: ‘Altruism is a concern for the welfare of oth- ers as an end in itself’ (p. 3). At other points, he includes cost: ‘When Ted bene- fits Martha at a cost to himself, that’s altruistic, regardless of how he thinks or feels about it’ (p.
[Show full text]
Beyond State Drafting a Prospective Anthropology
Beyond State Drafting a prospective anthropology Avel GUENIN{CARLUT October 16, 2020 Kairos Research 1 Table of Contents The deep roots of the State The heritage of early Statedom Navigating the near future of States Conclusion 2 Hobbes's Leviathan Rousseau's state of nature • Violence is essential to state • Humans are naturally good of nature • Civilization corrupts human • The social hinders natural nature violence But what is "civilisation" ? Historical opposition between two understanding of the State 3 Rousseau's state of nature • Humans are naturally good • Civilization corrupts human nature But what is "civilisation" ? Historical opposition between two understanding of the State Hobbes's Leviathan • Violence is essential to state of nature • The social hinders natural violence 3 But what is "civilisation" ? Historical opposition between two understanding of the State Hobbes's Leviathan Rousseau's state of nature • Violence is essential to state • Humans are naturally good of nature • Civilization corrupts human • The social hinders natural nature violence 3 Historical opposition between two understanding of the State Hobbes's Leviathan Rousseau's state of nature • Violence is essential to state • Humans are naturally good of nature • Civilization corrupts human • The social hinders natural nature violence But what is "civilisation" ? 3 The State States are centralised executive systems under the control of an elite caste, whose power is mediated through taxation, symbolic domination, and monopoly of violence. So how did State societies emerge ? What is a State ? 4 So how did State societies emerge ? What is a State ? The State States are centralised executive systems under the control of an elite caste, whose power is mediated through taxation, symbolic domination, and monopoly of violence.
[Show full text]
Altruism and Organism: Disentangling the Themes of Multilevel Selection Theory
The University of Chicago $OWUXLVPDQG2UJDQLVP'LVHQWDQJOLQJWKH7KHPHVRI0XOWLOHYHO6HOHFWLRQ7KHRU\ $XWKRU V 'DYLGb6ORDQb:LOVRQ 5HYLHZHGZRUN V 6RXUFH7KH$PHULFDQ1DWXUDOLVW9RO1R60XOWLOHYHO6HOHFWLRQ$6\PSRVLXP 2UJDQL]HGE\'DYLG6ORDQ:LOVRQ -XO\ SS66 3XEOLVKHGE\The University of Chicago PressIRUThe American Society of Naturalists 6WDEOH85/http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/286053 . $FFHVVHG Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press, The American Society of Naturalists, The University of Chicago are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The American Naturalist. http://www.jstor.org Vol. 150, Supplement The American Naturalist July 1997 ALTRUISM AND ORGANISM: DISENTANGLING THE THEMES OF MULTILEVEL SELECTION THEORY David Sloan Wilson* Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000 Abstract.—The evolution of groups into adaptive units, similar to single organisms in the coordi- nation of their parts, is one major theme of multilevel selection theory. Another major theme is the evolution of altruistic behaviors that beneﬁt others at the expense of self. These themes are often assumed to be strongly linked, such that altruism is required for group-level adaptation. Multilevel selection theory reveals a more complex relationship between the themes of altruism and organism.
[Show full text]
Sam Kean, "Red in Tooth and Claw Among the Literati,"
NEWSFOCUS Red in Tooth and Claw Among the Literati Upset by the isolation of their ﬁ eld, some critics are trying to bring Darwin’s ideas and recent science to the study of literature. They haven’t been popular IN THE EARLY 1990S JOSEPH CARROLL, AN English professor at the University of Mis- souri, St. Louis, presented a paper on the possibility of studying literature through the lens of Darwinian evolution. Not long afterward, he heard from a colleague that the paper had generated lots of discus- sion, though not for the most ﬂ attering rea- on May 5, 2011 son. “People didn’t think that anyone in literary studies cared about such things,” Carroll recalls. “There was an argument over whether it was a hoax.” Carroll was indeed serious. For 2 decades prior, Freudianism, Marxism, poststructur- alism, postcolonialism, and other fashion- able “isms” had dominated the academic study of literature. These schools dismissed www.sciencemag.org the idea that evolutionary pressures have shaped human nature, attributing all human nature to culture instead. Frustrated by this thinking, which he has grumbled is “unable we spend 4 hours per day consuming, dis- Steven Pinker and biologist Edward O. to contribute in any useful way to the serious cussing, and creating stories, and 4 minutes Wilson of Harvard University and biologist world of adult knowledge,” Carroll rebelled. per day having sex.) David Sloan Wilson of Binghamton Univer- In 1994, he helped found a new field by Most scientific lit scholars incorpo- sity in New York state. In contrast, apply- Downloaded from publishing his self-described “big, baggy rate at least some evolution into their work ing evolutionary thought to the human mind monster,” Evolution and Literary Theory, a because evolution provides a framework for has never been popular in the humanities, 536-page book promoting an approach to understanding human behavior.
[Show full text]
Beneath Symbols: Convention As a Semiotic Phenomenon Terrence W
Uncorrected draft: in press in Evolution & Contextual Behavioral Science: A Reuniication. Steven C. Hayes & David Sloan Wilson (eds.), New Harbinger Publications Beneath symbols: Convention as a semiotic phenomenon Terrence W. Deacon Introduction: Symbolic reference is a distinguishing feature of human language. In this respect language contrasts with other species-typical vocalizations and most communicative gestures, which only provide reference iconically or indexically. Because of its arbitrary and conventional nature, symbolic reference must be acquired by learning, and lacks both the natural associations and trans-generational reproductive consequences that characterize other innately evolved communicative adaptations, like laughter and sobbing. This is why there are no innate words and why it is so extensively reliant on social (as opposed to genetic) transmission. Iconic and indexical forms of communication are ubiquitous in the animal world as well as in human communication. They provide reference by virtue of formal and physical features shared by the sign vehicle and that to which it refers. In contrast, it is the irrelevance of any shared properties between sign vehicles (e.g. word sounds) and what they refer to—often referred to as arbitrarity—that facilitates the capacity to combine symbolic forms into vastly many complex structures (e.g. sentences and narratives) able to specify highly diverse and precise communicative contents. To say that symbolic reference is arbitrary is to say that it is determined by convention, rather than by any intrinsic sign vehicle properties. But what is entailed in the concept of convention when used in this way? The Merriam-Webster dictionary lists three related meanings that are relevant to this issue: a convention can be a usage or custom especially in social matters, a rule of conduct or behavior, or an established technique, practice, or device.
[Show full text]
Unifying Themes in Complex Systems IV
Unifying Themes in Complex Systems IV Springer Complexity springer Complexity is an interdisciplinary program publishing the best research and academic-level teaching on both fundamental and applied aspects of complex systems - cutting across all traditional disciplines of the natural and life sciences, engineering, economics, medicine, neuroscience, social and computer science. Complex Systems are systems that comprise many interacting parts with the abil› ity to generate a new quality of macroscopic collective behavior the manifestations of which are the spontaneous formation of distinctive temporal, spatial or functional structures. Models of such systems can be successfully mapped onto quite diverse "real-life" situations like the climate, the coherent emission of light from lasers, chemical reaction-diffusion systems, biological cellular networks, the dynamics of stock markets and of the internet, earthquake statistics and prediction, freeway traf› fic, the human brain, or the formation of opinions in social systems, to name just some of the popular applications. Although their scope and methodologies overlap somewhat, one can distinguish the following main concepts and tools: self-organization, nonlinear dynamics, syn› ergetics, turbulence, dynamical systems, catastrophes, instabilities, stochastic pro› cesses, chaos, graphs and networks, cellular automata, adaptive systems, genetic al› gorithms and computational intelligence. The two major book publication platforms of the Springer Complexity program are the monograph series "Understanding Complex Systems" focusing on the vari› ous applications of complexity, and the "Springer Series in Synergetics", which is devoted to the quantitative theoretical and methodological foundations. In addition to the books in these two core series, the program also incorporates individual titles ranging from textbooks to major reference works.
[Show full text]
C:\Douglas [D-]\Papers
Was Darwin a Social Darwinist? What is a proper evolutionary view of human culture and morality? by Douglas Allchin Are humans inherently selfish brutes? Skeptics and critics of evolution routinely denounce the ghastly specter of society "red in tooth and claw" as an unacceptable consequence of Darwin’s concept of natural selection. They equate Darwinism with so called "Social Darwinism," a belief in ruthless social competition and unmitigated individualism. Many evolutionists, too — even staunch defenders of Darwinism, from Thomas Henry Huxley (1894/1989) to Michael Ruse (1986) — seem to concur that the natural history of humans leaves an ethical void. Darwin himself, by contrast, had a well developed interpretation of the evolution of morality (Richards 1987). Others since have deepened our biological understanding of human and cultural origins. Perhaps, then, we are ready to challenge this entrenched assumption, this sacred bovine: that belief in evolution entails forsaking any foundation for morality. Many scientists disavow any role for biology in addressing ethics. They retreat behind the shield of the fact/value distinction or invoke the threat of the naturalistic fallacy. Yet morality is an observable behavior, a biological phenomenon (Stent 1978). We might well document it in other species. For example, a group led by Jeffrey Mogil recently reported on empathy in mice. When mice observe cagemates (but not strangers) in pain, they exhibit heightened responses to pain themselves (Langford et al 2006; Ganguli 2006). Morality deserves a biological explanation, especially for students who wonder about the status of humans in an evolutionary context. There are important limits, of course. One does well to heed philosophers who warn that we cannot justifiably derive particular values or moral principles from mere description.
[Show full text]
E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner a Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism
springer.com Life Sciences : Evolutionary Biology Naour, Paul E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism The book utilizes an unpublished conversation between B.F. Skinner and E.O. Wilson in 1987 as a springboard to lead readers to a more integrated view of behaviorism and sociobiology Reviewers have characterized Paul Naour's A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism, which includes brief introductions by E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner's elder daughter, Julie Vargus, as an idea book. The work will undoubtedly have a significant academic market and provide students and scholars in biology, ethology, psychology, anthropology, sociology and economics a strong foundation in twentieth century history and systems. Praise for A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism: - E.O. Wilson says of the book: ". excellent, an outstanding addition to the history of ideas. It will put Fred Skinner back in the pantheon and, providing context, serve as an excellent introduction to the content and central truths in radical behaviorism. Needless to say, I'm also grateful to have my work following Sociobiology Springer given proper attention." -David Sloan Wilson, author of Darwin’s Cathedral writes: "E.O. Wilson 2009, XIX, 138 p. 25 illus. and B.F. Skinner agreed that the human capacity for change is both a product of genetic 1st evolution and an evolutionary process in its own right. Yet, the paradigms of sociobiology and edition radical behaviorism went in very different directions. Paul Naour's insightful analysis of a taped conversation between Wilson and Skinner goes beyond the historical significance of the conversation and helps to integrate the two paradigms for the future." -Carl Haywood writes: Printed book "The present question is whether evolution by natural selection is a useful set of concepts for Hardcover the development of psychology.
[Show full text]
Recent Theories and Debates About Evolution and the Arts: a Critical Review
Arcadia 2016; 51(1): 3–21 John Neubauer Recent Theories and Debates about Evolution and the Arts: A Critical Review DOI 10.1515/arcadia-2016-0002 Recently, the Dutch writer Arnon Grunberg wrote his latest story, Het bestand (meaning both ‘computer file’ and ‘truce’) while his brain was observed and measured by scientists using screen capture and various physiological measuring techniques that recorded his brain activity, emotions, and subjective feelings. When the book went on the market during the Netherlands Boekenweek (Book Week) in February 2015, Grunberg along with neuroscientist and researcher Ys- brand van der Werf together on a book tour discussed their experiment at various bookstores and lecture halls. Now readers of Grunberg are invited by the research institute TNO to participate in a follow-up test that monitors reader’s brains. These spectacular experiments on the contrary do not reveal spectacular results, they however do display the cutting edge of interdisciplinary studies between literature and the cognitive sciences. Moreover, they indicate a more controversial topic, ‘evolution and the arts,’ although quite surprisingly, the history of this historical approach is littered with some rather breathtaking cadavers. Let me remind you that the subject was introduced in 1857, not by Darwin but instead by Herbert Spencer’s pre-Darwinian essay on the evolution of music, which defined music as emotionally intensified speech. Skipping Darwin’s response, and some dangerous evolutionary ideas in early-twentieth-century folklore and anthropology, I only care to cite Richard Dawkins’s “meme” theory, a more recent cadaver important for cultural evolution studies. Since Dawkins’s ‘selfish’ genes undergo only rare mutations, ‘ordinary genes’ could become the models for cultural “memes.” That is, only if the “memes” were also semi-permanent.
[Show full text]