3.5
The Social Conquest of Earth
ByPublisher Description
New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Book of the Year (Nonfiction)
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence (Nonfiction)
From the most celebrated heir to Darwin comes a groundbreaking book on evolution, the summa work of Edward O. Wilson's legendary career.
Sparking vigorous debate in the sciences, The Social Conquest of Earth upends “the famous theory that evolution naturally encourages creatures to put family first” (Discover). Refashioning the story of human evolution, Wilson draws on his remarkable knowledge of biology and social behavior to demonstrate that group selection, not kin selection, is the premier driving force of human evolution. In a work that James D. Watson calls “a monumental exploration of the biological origins of the human condition,” Wilson explains how our innate drive to belong to a group is both a “great blessing and a terrible curse” (Smithsonian). Demonstrating that the sources of morality, religion, and the creative arts are fundamentally biological in nature, the renowned Harvard University biologist presents us with the clearest explanation ever produced as to the origin of the human condition and why it resulted in our domination of the Earth’s biosphere.Download the free Fable app
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Social Conquest of Earth Reviews
3.5
““The human condition is an endemic turmoil rooted in the evolution processes that created us. The worst in our nature coexists with the best, and so it will ever be. To scrub it out, if such were possible, would make us less than human.”
Wilson is a brilliant writer. I’ve read several of his books and he is one of my favorite nonfiction writers- but this was SO dense. It’s not often a book takes me four months to get through, but this was a hard read. It was fantastic, but it was difficult. In this, Wilson explores eusociality and demonstrates his thesis that group selection (not kin selection) is the driving force of human evolution. Wilson also explores the intertwining relationship biology, human nature, and morality have. This book contains a lot of math and a lot of scientific theory that I had to frequently reread paragraphs to even get a vague understanding of the meaning. The exploration of human existence in this was absolutely fascinating though- E. O. Wilson always managed to make me really think about the meaning of my life and my contribution to the world around me.”
“I don't have to agree with everything Wilson says to find him insightful and intriguing. I'll admit that he challenges my world-views in ways that are uncomfortable but he does it eloquently and with purpose.”
About Edward O. Wilson
Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021) was the author of more than thirty books, including Anthill, Letters to a Young Scientist, and The Conquest of Nature. The winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, Wilson was a professor emeritus at Harvard University and lived with his wife in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Other books by Edward O. Wilson
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