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uderecife's review against another edition
4.0
If you are interested in thinking about human nature from the perspective of biology (or sociobiology, as Wilson defends), this is one of the books where you should start. Though a bit dated (understandably, for it was published in 1978), the discussion started with this book (or openly stated with its publication) is still very contemporary, for there is still a huge gap between the so-called Human Sciences (with its many socio studies varieties) and its more mythical (or ideological) premises, and the hard sciences, that fully accept (or to a great extent) the evolutionary theory as the basis for their work and understanding.
What Wilson wants with this book is to make the biological knowledge as the basis for all social sciences, as it is already happening in many fields (evolutionary psychology, behavioral economics, etc.). If you are already acquainted with the history of the evolution (almost a pun) of the social sciences at large, probably this book with look a bit quaint, since it misses (again, understandably) many of the subtleties of the contemporary discussions around these problems. However, if you, like me, do not have such a thorough knowledge about these issues, this book comes very handy, as it serves as a good introduction to the historical development, as well as to the scientific basis, to the problematic leading to Wilson's sociobiological proposal.
What Wilson wants with this book is to make the biological knowledge as the basis for all social sciences, as it is already happening in many fields (evolutionary psychology, behavioral economics, etc.). If you are already acquainted with the history of the evolution (almost a pun) of the social sciences at large, probably this book with look a bit quaint, since it misses (again, understandably) many of the subtleties of the contemporary discussions around these problems. However, if you, like me, do not have such a thorough knowledge about these issues, this book comes very handy, as it serves as a good introduction to the historical development, as well as to the scientific basis, to the problematic leading to Wilson's sociobiological proposal.
danielmbensen's review against another edition
3.0
what we can expect from H. sapiens, at least until genetic engineering.
This was research for a book, and a re-read. I didn't remember much from the first time around, but maybe that's just because I internalized the information on human behavior. Like other old, influential books, On Human Nature suffers from the passage of time. The true parts now appear obvious, and the false parts ridiculous. I wish there was a more current wide-scope book for laypeople about the behavior of the human animal, but I haven't found it yet.
This was research for a book, and a re-read. I didn't remember much from the first time around, but maybe that's just because I internalized the information on human behavior. Like other old, influential books, On Human Nature suffers from the passage of time. The true parts now appear obvious, and the false parts ridiculous. I wish there was a more current wide-scope book for laypeople about the behavior of the human animal, but I haven't found it yet.
erinray82's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't find this to be the most entertaining read, though I found certain parts to be unarguably fascinating! I consider the chapters on aggression, sex, and altruism to be the most gripping overall. I'd give this book only four stars if I felt it fair to rate it on the level of my own absorption, but that's not conducive to a book like this. I can't quite believe it was written in the 70's! And I'd be remiss if I couldn't acknowledge Wilson's brilliance. I'd give it four an a half if it were possible, taking off but a bare sliver for density, but perhaps that's me and not the fault of the book. In the end, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I learned a lot and feel that it was definitely before its time. It was well organized and solidly argued from my perspective. Based on all of the above, I feel it earned five stars on principle.
jameshendrickson's review against another edition
4.0
An amazingly relevant book that doesn’t feel 42 years old. I wish I had read it when it when it came out. RIP E.O.W.
clivemeister's review against another edition
5.0
A really important and profound book on how we're a social species, and that although our overall nature is significantly shaped by environment (mostly culture), the set of possible shapes that our nature might take is still profoundly constrained by our genetics. We are not a blank slate at all, despite what some sociologists might claim. Instead, we can:
To investigate the limits of genetics, and the flexibility of the human responses to it, Wilson looks at four of the "elemental categories of behavior": aggression, sex, altruism, and religion.
On aggression, for example, Wilson leaves no doubt that our genetics are those of an aggressive primate, while our culture has striven to remove most of it from our societies.
In response to those who point to the tiny minority of societies that appear to be pacific, Wilson asks us to look at even their history.
None of this is to deny our ability to overcome our genetic tendencies. But first we must recognize that they exist, and the patterns through which they show up in our societies.
This same style of treatment is given to the other topics. For sex, for example, we start with why there are genders at all - and why two of them, versus the thousands of genders in some fungi, or the haplodiploid arrangement of some bees, wasps and ants. From there, we look at what sexual differences seem to genetically exist in humans, and why they might have evolved. His treatment of homosexuality is very sympathetic for the time it was written (1978), and is generally directed towards potential kin-selection benefits of a predisposition to homosexuality, which is perhaps a little dated, but not too far away from my understanding of contemporary views.
Perhaps only in the final chapter, entitled Hope, do I find myself disappointed. Not with Wilson, but with humankind. Wilson's view is that a correct application of evolutionary theory would uphold three core values: the nobility of the individual (benefiting humankind over their own individual genes), diversity in the gene pool (to allow enough room for human brilliance across any field to emerge), and universal human rights (because power is fluid in our societies in the long term, and any long-term inequity will be visibly dangerous to its temporary beneficiaries). Perhaps he is right, and we're just not there yet!
Wilson writes all this in 1978; I read a copy of the 25th anniversary edition from the early 2000s, but the subject matter is still just as important today. And very little of it is dated. 4.75 stars, rounded up to 5 for brilliance of exposition.
"hope to decide more judiciously which of the elements of human nature to cultivate and which to subvert, which to take open pleasure with and which to handle with care. We will not, however, eliminate the hard biological substructure until such time, many years from now, when our descendants may learn to change the genes themselves."
To investigate the limits of genetics, and the flexibility of the human responses to it, Wilson looks at four of the "elemental categories of behavior": aggression, sex, altruism, and religion.
On aggression, for example, Wilson leaves no doubt that our genetics are those of an aggressive primate, while our culture has striven to remove most of it from our societies.
"Throughout history, warfare, representing only the most organized technique of aggression, has been endemic to every form of society, from hunter-gatherer bands to industrial states ... Virtually all societies have invented elaborate sanctions against rape, extortion, and murder, while regulating their daily commerce through complex customs and laws designed to minimize the subtler but inevitable forms of conflict. Most significantly of all, the human forms of aggressive behavior are species-specific: although basically primate in form, they contain features that distinguish them from aggression in all other species."
In response to those who point to the tiny minority of societies that appear to be pacific, Wilson asks us to look at even their history.
"Among contemporary !Kung San, violence in adults is almost unknown ... But as recently as fifty years ago, when these Bushman populations were denser and less rigidly controlled by the central government, their homicide rate per capita equaled that of Detroit and Houston"
None of this is to deny our ability to overcome our genetic tendencies. But first we must recognize that they exist, and the patterns through which they show up in our societies.
"Our brains do appear to be programmed to the following extent: we are inclined to partition other people into friends and aliens ... We tend to fear deeply the actions of strangers and to solve conflict by aggression .... (These) learning rules of violent aggression are largely obsolete. We are no longer hunter-gatherer who settle disputes with spears, arrows, and stone axes. But to acknowledge the obsolescence of the rules is not to banish them .... We must consciously undertake those difficult and rarely traveled pathways in psychological development that lead to master over and reduction of the profound human tendency to learn violence."
This same style of treatment is given to the other topics. For sex, for example, we start with why there are genders at all - and why two of them, versus the thousands of genders in some fungi, or the haplodiploid arrangement of some bees, wasps and ants. From there, we look at what sexual differences seem to genetically exist in humans, and why they might have evolved. His treatment of homosexuality is very sympathetic for the time it was written (1978), and is generally directed towards potential kin-selection benefits of a predisposition to homosexuality, which is perhaps a little dated, but not too far away from my understanding of contemporary views.
Perhaps only in the final chapter, entitled Hope, do I find myself disappointed. Not with Wilson, but with humankind. Wilson's view is that a correct application of evolutionary theory would uphold three core values: the nobility of the individual (benefiting humankind over their own individual genes), diversity in the gene pool (to allow enough room for human brilliance across any field to emerge), and universal human rights (because power is fluid in our societies in the long term, and any long-term inequity will be visibly dangerous to its temporary beneficiaries). Perhaps he is right, and we're just not there yet!
Wilson writes all this in 1978; I read a copy of the 25th anniversary edition from the early 2000s, but the subject matter is still just as important today. And very little of it is dated. 4.75 stars, rounded up to 5 for brilliance of exposition.
tardycreative's review against another edition
4.0
A great insight to human nature and how our genes control the way we think and behave; there is also a lot about the behaviors of swarm animals and other primates.
rachelcus's review against another edition
4.0
So, I wrote a review for this when I read it but accidentally deleted a whole bunch of reviews when I was reorganizing my shelves... So I guess I just have to read them all again so I can give accurate reviews :D