Edward Osborne Wilson (June 10, 1929 – December 26, 2021) was an American biologist , naturalist and author . He was an entomologist who studied ants , but to the public he is known for sociobiology , biodiversity and conservation .
Wilson's writing has been very influential. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction . He was known for his role as "the father of sociobiology", his environmentalism , and his secular humanist and deist ideas on religion and ethics .[ 1]
He worked at Harvard University , and was a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry . He was a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism.[ 2] [ 3] National Medal of Science (1977), and the Crafoord Prize (1990), which recognizes research in scientific fields not eligible for the Nobel Prize .
Wilson's work (and books ) fell into at least four categories :
Ants . He was the twentieth century's leading expert on these insects .Sociobiology . He created the term and wrote the book. He applies evolution and genetics to the study of human nature .[ 4] [ 5] controversial . The term is not as often used as it was before. The idea of evolutionary psychology is becoming more popular.Biodiversity and conservation . This part of his work is agreed by many other experts.Unity of knowledge. He argues that all knowledge – including humanities and social sciences – should be a kind of unified science. This is a philosophical view which has been put forward several times before.[ 5] p228 Wilson died on December 26, 2021 in Burlington, Massachusetts at the age of 92.[ 6]
1967. The theory of island biogeography , with Robert MacArthur. Princeton University Press. 2001 reprint: ISBN 0-691-08836-5
1971. The insect societies . Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-45490-1
1975. Sociobiology: the new synthesis ISBN 0-674-00089-7
1979. On human nature ISBN 0-674-01638-6
1981. Genes, mind and culture: the coevolutionary process . Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-34475-8
1983. Promethean fire: reflections on the origin of mind . Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-71445-8
1984. Biophilia , Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-07441-6
1990. Success and dominance in ecosystems: the case of the social insects. Inter-Research. ISSN 0932-2205
1990. The Ants , with Bert Hölldobler. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-04075-9 , Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
1992. The diversity of life Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-21298-3 ; The diversity of life: special edition . ISBN 0-674-21299-1
1993. The biophilia hypothesis , with Stephen R. Kellert. Shearwater Books. ISBN 1-55963-148-1
1994. Journey to the ants: a story of scientific exploration , with Bert Hölldobler. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-48525-4 ,
1994. Naturalist . Shearwater Books. ISBN 1-55963-288-7
1996. In search of nature , with Laura Simonds Southworth. Shearwater Books. ISBN 1-55963-215-1
1998. Consilience: the unity of knowledge . Knopf. ISBN 0-679-45077-7
2002. The future of life , Knopf. ISBN 0-679-45078-5
2003. Pheidole in the New World: a dominant, hyperdiverse ant genus . Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00293-8
2005. From so simple a beginning: Darwin's four great books . W.W. Norton, New York. Edited, with introductions by Edward O. Wilson.
2006. The creation: an appeal to save life on Earth . W.W. Norton, New York. ISBN 978-0-393-06217-5
2006. Nature revealed: selected writings 1949-2006 . ISBN 0-8018-8329-6
2009. The Superorganism: the beauty, elegance, and strangeness of insect societies , with Bert Hölldobler. W.W. Norton, New York. ISBN 978-0-393-06704-0
2010. Anthill: a novel . W.W. Norton, New York. ISBN 978-0-393-07119-1
2010. Kingdom of Ants: Jose Celestino Mutis and the dawn of natural history in the New World , with José María Gómez Durán. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
2011. The Leafcutter Ants: civilization by instinct , with Bert Hölldobler. W.W. Norton, New York. ISBN 978-0-393-33868-3
2012. The Social Conquest of Earth . Liveright, New York. ISBN 978-0-87140-413-8
2014. Letters to a Young Scientist . Liveright. ISBN 0871403854
2014. A Window on Eternity: A Biologist's Walk Through Gorongosa National Park . Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1476747415
2014. The Meaning of Human Existence . Liveright. ISBN 0871401002
2016. Half-Earth . Liveright. ISBN 978-1-63149-082-8
2017. The Origins of Creativity . Liveright. ISBN 978-1-63149-318-8 