The  Social Conquest of Earth by EO Wilson






An important synthesis, provocative perhaps but very rewarding
 

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Many
readers may have read EO Wilson's expert work on ecology, ants and evolutionary
selection in order to think through deeper insights into the human behaviour and
history. In this book, Wilson takes the guesswork out of it, providing logical
and evidence-based views on the human condition. He posts a question in his
Prologue which considers the life of the restless and irrepressible artist,
Gauguin - is the human condition understandable through the scientific enquiry?
Wilson is one of the best qualified people on the planet to weigh up the
importance of individual, group and multi-level selection for a species, areas
of science directly relevant to Gaugin's question.

From a human
perspective, the different mechanisms of tribalism are examined and its causes
are analysed, pointing the finger past religion to competition for resources. An
examination of the phenomenon of eusociality in insects, while fascinating in
its own right, lends insights for human behaviour and societies. The reader is
taken on an expertly guided tour of contemporary theories in social evolution,
sometimes a little theoretical but easy enough to get your head around. The
logical and simply explained chapter `Insects take the giant leap' is a key to
understanding one of the most interesting aspects of biology. Similarly, `The
forces of social evolution' sums up the gains and losses of the last few fifty
years of research in this area, essentially comparing the merits of group
selection and kin selection theory.

The
final parts of this book ask `What are we?' and `Where are we going?', collating
information provided earlier or from referenced arguments to examine the roles
and importance of language, culture, morality and creativity. Insights abound
and set the stage for Wilson's final chapter 'A new enlightenment' which
achieves two objectives: it shows that scientific enquiry can lead us to the big
answers, and offers a lucid, optimistic and compelling synthesis of what really
matters and where to next for human society. This book is transformative - some
of Wilson's specific interpretations will be challenged but what's new about
that - he has taken on an enormous topic and provided a synthesis unequalled in
scope and contemporary relevance. I am pleased to see this point is drawn out by
the significant and ranging commentary offered by the reviews at this site.