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Dialogue. the Response: Academic Vigilantism and the Political Significance of Sociobiology Author(S): Edward O Dialogue. The Response: Academic Vigilantism and the Political Significance of Sociobiology Author(s): Edward O. Wilson Source: BioScience, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Mar., 1976), pp. 183+187-190 Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1297247 . Accessed: 07/08/2014 05:57 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]. Oxford University Press and American Institute of Biological Sciences are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to BioScience. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.103.149.52 on Thu, 7 Aug 2014 05:57:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The Rtespense Academic Vigilantismand the Political Significance of Sociobiology Edward O. Wilson The best response to a political institutions of their society by exoner- article. In contrast, and regardless of all attack of the kind exemplified by the ating them from responsibility for social they have said, I am ideologically indif- preceding article, "Sociobiology- problems." The tone of the present ferent to the degree of determinism in Another Biological Determinism," is BioScience article is muted, but the human behavior. If human beings perhaps no response at all. Some of my innuendo is clear and remains the same. proved infinitely malleable, as they colleagues have offered that advice. But This tactic, which has been employed hope, then one could justify any social the problem is larger than the personal by members of Science for the People or economic arrangement according to distress that this and earlier activities of against other scientists, throws the his personal value system. If on the the Science for the People group have person criticized into the role of defen- other hand, human beings proved com- caused me. The issue at hand, I submit, dant and renders his ideas easier to pletely fixed, then the status quo could is vigilantism: the judgment of a work discredit. Free and open discussion be justified as unavoidable. of science according to whether it con- becomes difficult, as the critics continue Few reasonable persons take the first forms to the political convictions of the to press their campaign, and the target extreme position and none the second. judges, who are self-appointed. The sen- struggles to clear his name. The problem On the basis of objective evidence the tence for scientists found guilty is to be is increased by difficulties in knowing truth appears to lie somewhere in given a label and to be associated with with whom one is dealing. The state- between, closer to the environmentalist past deeds that all decent persons will ments are often published over long lists than to the genetic pole. That was my find repellent. of names, shifts in committee member- wholly empirical conclusion in Socio- Thus, in a statement published earlier ship occur through time, and the biology: The New Synthesis and con- in The New York Review of Books authors' names are withheld from some tinues to be in later writings. There is no (Allen et al. 1-975), the Science for the of the documents. (All have occurred reasonable way that this generalization People group characterized my book during the present controversy.) can be construed as a support of the So cio biology: The New Synthesis Despite the protean physical form status quo and continued injustice, as (Wilson 1975a) as the latest attempt to taken by the Sociobiology Study Group the Science for the People group have reinvigorate theories that in the past of Science for the People, the belief now, on four painful occasions, claimed. "provided an important basis for the system they promote is clear-cut and I have personally argued the opposite enactment of sterilization laws and rigid. They postulate that human beings conclusion, most fully and explicitly in restrictive immigration laws by the need only decide on the kind of society my New York Times Magazine article of United States between 1910 and 1930 they wish, and then find the way to 12 October 1975 (Wilson 1975b). The and also for the eugenics policies which bring it into being. Such a vision can be Science for the People group have not led to the establishment of gas chambers justified if human social behavior proves found it convenient to mention this part in Nazi Germany." To this malicious to be infinitely malleable. In their of my writings. charge they added, "Wilson joins the earlier New York Review statement With the exception of the Science for long parade of biological determinists (Allen et al. 1975) the group therefore the People group, all of the many whose work has served to buttress the maintained that although eating, biologists and social scientists whose excreting, and sleeping may be reviews of Sociobiology: The New genetically determined, social behavior I have seen understood the The author is with the Museumof Compara- Synthesis tive Zoology, HarvardUniversity, Cambridge, is entirely learned; this belief has been MA02138. developed further in the BioScience Continued on p. 187 March 1976 183 This content downloaded from 128.103.149.52 on Thu, 7 Aug 2014 05:57:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The Response are the research protocols of human to exist by simply deleting three key ethology; and anthropology and pieces from the quoted statement. Most Continued from p. 183 sociology together constitute the socio- human societies are territorial most of biology of a single primate species." the time. book correctly. None has read a It is the intellectually viable conten- reactionary political message into it, tion of the final chapter that the socio- even though the reviewers represent a biological methods which have proved Warfare variety of personal political persuasions; effective in the study of animals can be In Sociobiology I presented wide- and none has found my assessment of extended to human beings, even though lethal warfare in human the of determinism in human our vastly more complex, flexible spread early degree as a not as a social behavior out of line with the behavior will make the application tech- groups working hypothesis, fact, contrary to what the cosigners empirical evidence. The Science for the nically more difficult. The degree of suggest. And it is a hypothesis wholly People group have utterly misrepre- success cannot yet be predicted. consistent with the evidence: military sented the spirit and content of the Chapter 27 was intended to be a begin- activity and territorial expansion have portions of Sociobiology devoted to ning rather than a conclusion, and other been concomitants throughout history human beings. They have done so, it reviewers have so interpreted it. In it I and at all levels of social organization would seem, in order to have a con- have characterized the distinctive (Otterbein 1970), and they can hardly spicuous straw man against which their human traits as best I could from the fail to have had significant demographic views can be favorably pitted, and to literature of the social sciences, and I and genetic consequences. obscure the valid points in Sociobiology have offered a set of hypotheses about which do indeed threaten their own the evolution of the traits stated in a extreme Let me document this way that seemed to make them most position. and Other Terms interpretation with responses to the susceptible to analysis by sociobio- Slavery specific criticisms made by the 35 logical methods. The cosigners state that I claim to cosigners. The Science for the People group have found barter, religion, magic, and ignore this main thrust of the book. tribalism among nonhumans. I have They cite piece by piece incorrectly, or made no such claim. The cosigners do RESPONSETO CRITICISMS out of context, and then add their own not like to see terms such as slavery, commentary to furnish me with a po- division of labor, and ritual used in both it should be noted that First, Socio- litical attitude I do not have and the zoology and the social sciences. Do they biology: The New Synthesis is a large book with a general conclusion that is wish also to expunge communication, 27 and book, within which only chapter not there. The following examples cover dominance, monogamy, and parental in earlier scattered paragraphs chapters nearly all of their points. care from the vocabulary of zoology? refer to man. The main theses of socio- biology are based on studies of a myriad of conducted hun- animal species by Roles Genetic Basesof Behavior dreds of investigators in various bio- logical disciplines. It has been possible The 35 cosigners have me saying The cosigners claim that no evidence to derive propositions by the traditional that role sectors, and thus certain forms exists for the genetic basis of particular postulational and deductive methods of of economic role behavior associated forms of social behavior. Their state- theoretical science, and to test many of with role sectors, are universal in man. ment indicates that they do not use the them rigorously by quantitative studies. On pages 552 and 554, the reader will same criteria as other biologists. To One can cite the work on kin selection find that I did not include role sectors postulate the existence of genes for the in social Hymenoptera, the elaboration among the widespread or universal diagnostic human traits is not to imply of caste systems in social insects, the traits.
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