David Sloan Wilson
is President of ProSocial World and This View of Life Editor-in-Chief
This View of Life Editor in Chief, President of Evolution Institute
Professor of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University
David Sloan Wilson is president of ProSocial World and SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He applies evolutionary theory to all aspects of humanity in addition to the rest of life, through Prosocial World and in his own research and writing. A complete archive of his work is available at www.David SloanWilson.world. His most recent books include his first novel, Atlas Hugged: The Autobiography of John Galt III, and a memoir, A Life Informed by Evolution.
Authored by
David Sloan Wilson
January 6, 2015
The New Evolution Institute Website and the Science-to-Narrative Chain by David Sloan Wilson, President
Welcome to the Evolution Institute’s new website, your portal to understanding and improving the human condition.
November 24, 2013
Theory of Cooperation—Generous Strategies Win the Darwinian Contest After All
From extortion to to generosity, evolution in the prisoner's dilemmaThe eternal struggle between cooperative and selfish social strategies takes place on the playing field of theoretical models in addition to the real world. The prisoner's dilemma is a favorite model for exploring advantages and pitfalls of cooperation.
October 8, 2013
Darwin’s Business Conference At NYU Stern
New evolutionary thinking about cooperation, groups, firms and societies.To explore the new implications of this vastly improved evolutionary theory for business, we recently organized a one-day symposium at Stern titled “Darwin’s Business: New Evolutionary Thinking About Cooperation, Groups, Firms and Societies.”
October 7, 2013
A Third Wave Of Evolutionary Thought
How evolution experienced a case of arrested development in relation to human affairs.I explain how evolutionary thought has developed more or less continuously in the life sciences since Darwin, but experienced a case of arrested development in relation to human affairs. A renewed effort to rethink the human-related academic disciplines began in the late 20th century, comprising a second wave of evolutionary thought.
May 12, 2013
Evolving the Future
We are closer to a science of intentional change than one might think.With three members of the EI’s Scientific Advisory Board, Steven C. Hayes, Anthony Biglan, and Dennis D. Embry, we have written a review article titled “Evolving the Future: Toward a Science of Intentional Change”, which will be published in the commentary journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS).
April 9, 2013
Learning from Mother Nature About Teaching Our Children: Ten Simple Truths
Scientists explored new solutions from an unusual source: Darwin's theory of evolution.Education isn’t working well in America, despite billions of dollars and everyone’s best intentions. Not too long ago, scientists explored new solutions from an unusual source: Darwin’s theory of evolution.
March 18, 2013
Is Religion Useful? A Test Involving Common Pool Resource Groups
Far from “poisoning everything”, religions often plays an integral role in regulating the practical aspects of life.Religion puzzles the nonbeliever in part because it seems to lack utility. How can belief in supernatural agents and costly practices such as ritual sacrifice produce practical benefits?
February 11, 2013
Three Waves of Evolutionary Thought
What Darwin called “this view of life” has indisputably transformed the way we think about the living world.A renewed effort to rethink humanity from an evolutionary perspective didn’t gather steam until late in the 20th century. At first the enterprise was regarded as controversial but by now it has become part of mainstream science, which can be seen by perusing the academic literature.
September 5, 2012
Ayn Rand and Modern Politics
The problem with visions of life that are detached from the world—no matter how intoxicating—is that they crash and burn when they encounter the real world.The problem with visions of life that are detached from the world—no matter how intoxicating—is that they crash and burn when they encounter the real world.
June 28, 2012
The Nature of Regulation I: Breaking Out of Our Narrative Prisons
Both liberal and conservative narratives about regulation are like prisons that confine reasonable people to predetermined choices. A new narrative based on the biological concept of regulation can set us free. Regulation is one of the most charged words in politics. If you’re a conservative, then you’re likely to think that regulation is a bad thing that erodes personal responsibility and prevents the free enterprise system from working its magic.
May 12, 2012
One Country's Evolution Into The Future
May 4, 2012
Consilience Conference Celebrates Unity of Knowledge In Biology, Social Science, and Humanities
Two controversies lurk beneath an impressive display of interdisciplinarityRecently, we at <em>Evolution: This View of Life</em> had the pleasure of attending and covering the first annual conference on “Consilience”—or the unity of the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. The conference, of which we at ETVOL hope to see many future iterations, was organized and hosted by Joseph Carroll of the University of Missouri in St. Louis.
March 5, 2012
When Richard Dawkins Is Not An Evolutionist
"Dawkins is not an evolutionist in part because no one is keeping him within bounds. One objective of <em>This View of Life</em> is to set a new standard for science journalism......"Dawkins is not an evolutionist in part because no one is keeping him within bounds. One objective of <em>This View oF Life</em> is to set a new standard for science journalism that brings it closer to the standard of the scientific peer review process.
February 11, 2012
Welcome to Evolution: This View of Life
A Message to Friends of Evolution.The magazine provides an intellectual forum at the professional level. We will strive to portray science as it actually happens: not as a monolithic collection of facts, but as an ongoing process of constructive disagreement that gradually converts hypotheses into durable knowledge.
February 11, 2012
Evolution Begins to Occupy Center Stage in Economic Debates
A flurry of recent activity indicates that evolution is beginning to occupy center stage in economic debates—and not a moment too soon.A flurry of recent activity indicates that evolution is beginning to occupy center stage in economic debates—and not a moment too soon.
February 10, 2012
Turning Evolutionary Science into a Political Narrative
A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of GovernmentThe Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government does a remarkably good job of distilling the science into powerful and appealing metaphors, such as the economy as like a garden that requires tending, rather than a machine that runs itself.
