How does who we are affect how we behave? Myers (2010) argues that “some of one’s personality and temperament is determined by one’s biological makeup” (Penn State World Campus, n.d.). Similarly, Wilson (2000) defines sociobiology as the ‘systematic study of the biological basis of all social behaviour’ (Dennis, 2018). However, in the years since its publication, Wilson’s theory has had many detractors.
Some argue that sociobiology is an attempt to create an unjustified link between social behavior and biology. Gould (1978) states that “When evolutionists study individual adaptations, when they try to explain form and behaviour by reconstructing history and assessing current utility, they also tell just-so stories – and the agent is natural selection. Virtuosity in invention replaces testability as the criterion for acceptance.” This implies that scientists attempting to use sociobiology to explain modern culture may be susceptible to confirmation bias.
It has also been said that the theory of sociobiology is racist. Ideologies like sociobiology have been used to justify social hierarchies and support oppression over the course of recorded human history (Ardill, 2009). However, in his 2017 article, Charles Mudede says that “sociobiology is important, because if used honestly, with a mind that’s as open as possible, it explains a lot by beginning with the important and obvious fact that the human is an animal—a social animal”. This suggests that, while not inherently racist, the theory of sociobiology has been used by supremacist groups to support their causes.
Wilson originally claimed that there was a biological basis for all social behavior. Many critics argued that his theory of sociobiology was not well supported. Ultimately, the truth likely lies somewhere between these two positions. I agree with Barkow (1978) that, “culture is an emergent phenomenon and will never be fully reducible to the biological, evolutionary phenomena which make it possible”. We should use biology to explain the personality traits which can be strongly supported by fact, but never use these findings to discriminate against people of a different race or culture.
References
Ardill, A. (2009). Sociobiology, racism and australian colonisation. Griffith Law Review, 18(1), 82-113. doi:10.1080/10383441.2009.10854631
Barkow, J. H. (1978). Culture and sociobiology. American Anthropologist, 80(1), 5-20. doi:10.1525/aa.1978.80.1.02a00010
Dennis, A. (2018). The strange survival and apparent resurgence of sociobiology. History of the Human Sciences, 31(1), 19-35. doi:10.1177/0952695117735966
Mudede, C. (2017). Why We Need to Take Sociobiology from the Racists. Retrieved from https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/04/19/25085700/why-we-need-to-take-sociobiogly-from-the-racists
Penn State World Campus. (n.d.). Eastern Europe and Russian Population. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2008449/modules/items/27027028