About this title: Human nature is genetically determined, but to what extent? And does the acceptance of evolutionary theory as the basis for social behaviour diminish our humanity? In this volume, first published in 1978, Edward Wilson argues that science offers us true liberation.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780060175962ISBN:0060175966
Description: Acceptable. A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (the dust cover may be missing). Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1988-10-15
ISBN-13:9780674634428ISBN:067463442X
Description: Very Good. Binding is tight and square. Cover is VG. Text is clean, bright and unmarked. We recommend EXPEDITED MAIL for even faster delivery! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1978
ISBN-13:9780674634411ISBN:0674634411
Description: Acceptable. Binding is broken, but no pages are loose or missing. Minor water damage but content intact. DJ shows, rubbing, creasing, chipping and edge wear. Good Reading Copy. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1978
ISBN-13:9780674634411ISBN:0674634411
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Edition: 5th Printing
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1978
ISBN-13:9780674634428ISBN:067463442X
Description: Very Good+ 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Front corners lightly bent right by tips, name of former owner printed by top edge of half title page. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. 260 pages. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books, Toronto: New York
Date Published: 1979
ISBN-13:9780553233919ISBN:0553233912
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Different cover artwork. In sturdy shape. Some signs of aging on pages, spine and covers. xiv, 272 p.; 18 cm. "A Bantam New Age Book. " Includes bibliographical references and index. read more
Edition: 3rd Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1979
ISBN-13:9780553129434ISBN:0553129430
Description: Good. 0553129430. Pb, light wear/soil, crease at spine; 12mo 7"-7½" tall. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books, New York
Date Published: 1982
ISBN-13:9780553233919ISBN:0553233912
Description: Good. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Wraps have light scuffing. Spine is creased. Pages are clean & text is free from markings. Binding is secure. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Date Published: 1978-10-02
ISBN-13:9780674634411ISBN:0674634411
Description: Good. Dust jacket with chipping and rubbing along edges; price intact. Long gift inscription on first free endpaper (To Curtis Manson "As one beekeeper to another I send you this book. We've both got to see if this man Wilson is any good" Cabot Coville; Washington May 3, 1979). No inscriptions to decorative endpapers or text. Spine is sound. read more
Description: No dust jacket. To edge has a few spots. 3 or 4 pages have some spots else good + to very good. 260 pp. Harvard University Press. 1978 (1978). Hardcover-cloth, index, read more
"Wilson's classic is showing signs of age. Overall, its still an enjoyable read but it does feel dated.
The book starts off quite well; you can see where Wilson's desire for consilience starts. Here he tackles such topics as heredity, development and the general overview of sociobiology. He not only presents his argument, that the hard sciences and going to become much more entwined into the social, but he points out paths that he suspected the convergence would flow. Additionally, he fully admits he may be wrong. I love this. Its rare to find a scientist who, at the beginning of a book, freely admits that yes, my ideas and my predictions could be wrong.
However, as good as those first few chapters were, the next several take the book down a notch. Emergence feels like a non science writer writing about civilizations. The arguments are weak at best and the behaviorist mindset is overplayed. The same holds for the next two chapters on aggression and sex. Neither is as bad as the emergence chapter, but both suffer from his very white, male, privileged view point. Not to say there isn't a place for that, however here I feel that view detracts from his arguments. Of course this review comes over 30 years after its publication and Prof. Wilson, in later works,does pull in a more universalist viewpoint.
For those curious about Prof. Wilson and his hopes and dreams on a convergence in science and humanities, this is a good introduction. Not as good as Consilience, still a good introduction."
"The chapters on Heredity, Aggression, and Sex were all really good. I'd give the book 5 stars if it was just those chapters, but the rest didn't really do it for me."
"Fascinating examination of human nature from a Darwinian perspective. I especially enjoyed reading his thoughts on religion. "The predisposition to religious belief is the most complex and powerful force in the human mind and in all probability an ineradicable part of human nature.""
"I know I only gave it 2 stars, but this is a very interesting book if you're interested in sociobiology. Wilson explains the dilemmas of humans having no apparent purpose beyond survival and reproduction, which moral instincts and behaviors we should obey versus how culture can change our customs, what is the biological basis of human behavior. Where are we headed from here? Can we change human nature?"
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