The Social Conquest of Earth
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
The Social Conquest of Earth
| Author | E. O. Wilson |
|---|---|
| Published | 2012 |
| Pages | 341 |
| Recommended | 2 times |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | Wilson argues that humans conquered the earth the way ants and termites conquered the insect world — through eusociality — and, controversially, credits group selection rather than kin selection, reading religion, morality, art and tribal war as products of a human nature permanently divided between individual selfishness and group virtue. |
The Social Conquest of Earth
Where I heard about it
- Li Lu — entry 4 in the opening section of Li Lu’s Recommended Book List (Science, Philosophy, Evolution, and the History of Human Civilization), which asks where humans came from before it asks anything about markets.
- On Patrick Collison’s Bookshelf — Patrick Collison’s catalog of the physical books he owns (unflagged). Saved in Kyle’s April 19th, 2020 Roam daily note.
About this edition
W. W. Norton, 2012 — the first publication, and the edition Li Lu cites.
Connections
- Li Lu’s Recommended Book List — the bibliography this came from.
- E. O. Wilson — author.
- Evolution · Human Nature — the argument’s two poles.
- Religion · Morality — which Wilson treats as by-products of group selection.
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.