Edward Osborne Wilson was born on June 10, 1929, and died on December 26, 2021. He was an American biologist, naturalist, ecologist, and entomologist who helped create the field of sociobiology.

Wilson was born in Alabama and showed an early interest in nature. At age seven, he was partially blinded in a fishing accident. Because of his reduced vision, he decided to study entomology, the scientific study of insects. After graduating from the University of Alabama, he earned a doctorate from Harvard University, where he made important contributions to several scientific areas. In 1956, he helped write a paper that explained the theory of character displacement, which describes how species change traits to avoid competition. In 1967, he worked with Robert MacArthur to develop the theory of island biogeography, which explains how species live on islands.

Wilson held many academic positions, including being a professor at Harvard University and a lecturer at Duke University. He was also part of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a group that investigates scientific claims. The Royal Swedish Academy gave him the Crafoord Prize, and he was honored as a humanist laureate by the International Academy of Humanism. He won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction twice: once for On Human Nature in 1979 and again for The Ants in 1991. His books, including The Social Conquest of Earth, Letters to a Young Scientist, and The Meaning of Human Existence, became bestsellers.

Wilson’s work was both praised and criticized. His 1975 book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis caused controversy and was challenged by the Sociobiology Study Group. He also had a public disagreement with Richard Dawkins about the theory of evolution. After his death, letters were found showing that he supported J. Philippe Rushton, a psychologist whose research on race and intelligence was widely criticized as flawed and racist by the scientific community.

Early life, family and education

Edward Osborne Wilson was born on June 10, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the only child of Inez Linnette Freeman and Edward Osborne Wilson Sr. In his book Naturalist, he wrote that he grew up in several towns in the Southern United States, including Mobile, Decatur, and Pensacola. From a young age, he was interested in studying nature. His father struggled with alcohol and later died by suicide. His parents allowed him to bring black widow spiders home and keep them on the porch. His parents separated when he was seven years old.

In the same year his parents divorced, Wilson lost sight in his right eye during a fishing accident. He continued fishing despite the pain and did not seek medical help because he wanted to stay outdoors. Months later, a cataract formed in his right eye, and he was admitted to Pensacola Hospital for surgery. In his autobiography, he described the surgery as a frightening experience from the 19th century. He kept full vision in his left eye, which had 20/10 eyesight. This allowed him to notice small details, such as butterflies and ants, more than other children. Although he could no longer see in 3D, he could still read small text and see tiny insect hairs. His limited ability to observe larger animals led him to focus on insects.

At age nine, Wilson began exploring Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., where he collected insects and developed a love for butterflies. He used nets made from brooms, coat hangers, and cheesecloth bags to catch them. These trips sparked his interest in ants. In his autobiography, he wrote about discovering citronella ants under a rotting tree. The ants were short, fat, bright yellow, and had a strong lemon scent. This experience left a clear and lasting memory. He also earned the Eagle Scout award and worked as Nature Director at his Boy Scouts summer camp. At 18, he aimed to become an entomologist (a scientist who studies insects). He first collected flies but switched to ants during World War II because insect pins were scarce. With help from Marion R. Smith, a scientist who studies ants, Wilson began studying all the ant species in Alabama. This work led him to report the first fire ant colony in the United States near Mobile.

Wilson attended 15 or 16 schools during 11 years of schooling. He worried he could not afford university and tried to join the U.S. Army to get financial support. He failed the Army medical exam due to his poor eyesight but later enrolled at the University of Alabama. He earned a Bachelor of Science in 1949 and a Master of Science in biology in 1950. The next year, he moved to Harvard University.

As a member of the Harvard Society of Fellows, Wilson traveled overseas to collect ant species in Cuba, Mexico, and the South Pacific, including Australia, New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Sri Lanka. In 1955, he received his Ph.D. and married Irene Kelley.

In his book Letters to a Young Scientist, Wilson mentioned his IQ was measured as 123.

Career

From 1956 until 1996, Wilson was a teacher at Harvard University. He started by studying ants and worked to understand how they evolved into new species by avoiding environmental challenges and moving to new areas. He created a theory called the "taxon cycle."

Wilson worked with mathematician William H. Bossert to classify pheromones based on how insects communicate. In the 1960s, he partnered with mathematician and ecologist Robert MacArthur to develop the theory of species equilibrium. In the 1970s, Wilson and biologist Daniel S. Simberloff tested this theory by removing all insect species from small mangrove islands in the Florida Keys and observing how new species returned. Their book, The Theory of Island Biogeography, became a widely used textbook in ecology.

In 1971, Wilson published The Insect Societies, which explained that insect behavior and the behavior of other animals are shaped by similar evolutionary pressures. In 1973, he became the curator of entomology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. In 1975, he wrote Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, applying his insect behavior theories to vertebrates and, in the final chapter, to humans. He suggested that inherited traits might explain human social structures. In 1978, he published On Human Nature, which explored how biology influences human culture and won a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

In 1976, Wilson was named the Frank B. Baird Jr., Professor of Science. After retiring from Harvard in 1996, he became the Pellegrino University Professor Emeritus. In 1981, he co-authored Genes, Mind and Culture with biologist Charles Lumsden, presenting a theory about how genes and culture evolve together. In 1990, he co-wrote The Ants with zoologist Bert Hölldobler, earning his second Pulitzer Prize.

In the 1990s, Wilson published The Diversity of Life (1992), an autobiography titled Naturalist (1994), and Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge (1998), which discussed connecting natural and social sciences. He was recognized for his work in environmental protection and for his views on religion and ethics.

Wilson was known by titles such as "father of biodiversity," "ant man," and "Darwin's heir." In a PBS interview, David Attenborough praised Wilson as a leading expert on ants who also saw the natural world as a whole.

In 2012, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins criticized Wilson’s book The Social Conquest of Earth in Prospect Magazine, arguing that Wilson’s ideas about group selection were flawed. Wilson responded, saying Dawkins misunderstood his work. In 2014, Wilson claimed there was no real disagreement with Dawkins, as he considered Dawkins a journalist, not a scientist. Dawkins later acknowledged Wilson’s contributions but disagreed with his views on kin selection. Biologist Jerry Coyne called Wilson’s comments about Dawkins unfair. In 2021, Dawkins stated their debate was purely scientific and expressed admiration for Wilson’s work.

Before Wilson’s death, his personal letters were donated to the Library of Congress. After his death, some articles questioned Wilson’s legacy due to his support of J. Philippe Rushton, a psychologist known for promoting racist ideas. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, Wilson wrote emails defending Rushton’s work despite widespread criticism. Wilson also helped publish a paper by Rushton in PNAS and chose reviewers likely to agree with the paper’s claims. He avoided public support for Rushton to protect his reputation. In 2022, the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation issued a statement rejecting Wilson’s support of racism and expressed regret for his actions.

Work

Edward O. Wilson used ideas from sociobiology and evolution to study the behavior of social insects, like ants, and then applied these ideas to understand the social behavior of other animals, including humans. This work helped create sociobiology as a new scientific field. He believed that all animal behavior, including human behavior, is shaped by genetics, environmental influences, and past experiences. He said that free will is not real, and he called the biological basis of behavior the "genetic leash." Sociobiology suggests that all social behavior in animals follows rules set by evolution. This theory and its research were important, sparked debate, and had a major impact on science.

Wilson argued that the basic unit of selection in evolution is the gene, which carries hereditary traits. The individual carrying a group of genes is the main target of selection. When explaining the behavior of eusocial insects, such as ants, Wilson proposed that group selection, a concept first mentioned by Darwin, is the correct explanation.

At the time, sociobiology was controversial when applied to humans. It challenged the idea of "tabula rasa," which claims humans are born without any innate mental traits and that culture alone shapes knowledge and success.

Wilson’s book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis was initially praised by many scientists. However, after criticism from the Sociobiology Study Group, part of the organization Science for the People, a major debate called the "sociobiology debate" began. Wilson faced accusations of racism, sexism, and support for eugenics. Colleagues like Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould, members of the group, strongly opposed his ideas. They wrote an open letter criticizing Wilson’s view that human behavior is determined by genetics. Public events and letters continued to criticize his work. In response, Wilson wrote an article in BioScience titled "Academic Vigilantism and the Political Significance of Sociobiology."

In 1978, during a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Wilson was surrounded and sprayed with water by members of the International Committee Against Racism, who accused him of promoting racism and genetic determinism. Steven Jay Gould, who was present, and Science for the People later condemned the attack.

Philosopher Mary Midgley, while writing Beast and Man (1979), studied Sociobiology and rewrote her book to critique Wilson’s ideas. She praised the book for its research on animal behavior and its thoroughness but criticized Wilson for unclear thinking, overreliance on science, and attributing human-like traits to genetics.

In his 1978 book On Human Nature, Wilson wrote, "The evolutionary epic is probably the best myth we will ever have." This phrase inspired the term "epic of evolution." The book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979.

Wilson and Bert Hölldobler studied ants and their behavior, leading to the 1990 book The Ants. Wilson explained that ants’ self-sacrificing behavior can be understood through their genetic connection to their sisters, as they share 75% of their genes. However, in some species, workers may share only 25% of their genes with their colony. He used ants to argue that sociobiology can explain all social behavior.

Wilson once said, "Karl Marx was right, socialism works, it is just that he had the wrong species." He explained that ants and other eusocial species achieve higher survival by prioritizing the colony over individual needs because they cannot reproduce without a queen. Humans, who can reproduce independently, maximize their survival by focusing on their own well-being and raising their own offspring.

In his 1998 book Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, Wilson discussed ways to connect scientific fields and humanistic studies. He believed knowledge is a single, unified concept, not divided between science and the humanities. He used the term "consilience" to describe combining knowledge from different areas. He defined human nature as genetic patterns that guide mental development. He argued that culture and rituals are results of human nature, not separate from it. He said art itself is not part of human nature, but the ability to appreciate art is. He suggested that traits like fear of snakes, the incest taboo, and art appreciation could be studied using scientific methods and explored through interdisciplinary research.

Spiritual and political beliefs

Edward O. Wilson introduced the term "scientific humanism," which he described as the only way of thinking that fits with what science has learned about the natural world and its rules. He believed this approach could help improve people's lives. In 2003, he signed the Humanist Manifesto, a statement supporting humanist ideas.

When asked about God, Wilson said he believed in "provisional deism," meaning he thought God exists but does not control daily events. He did not call himself an atheist but preferred the term "agnostic," which means he is unsure about the existence of God. He explained that he no longer followed traditional religious beliefs, such as Baptist or Christian teachings. Wilson argued that beliefs in God and religious practices developed through evolution. He believed these ideas should be studied by science to understand their role in human nature. In his book The Creation, he wrote that scientists should work with religious leaders to create a partnership, stating that science and religion are powerful forces that should join to protect the Earth.

Wilson spoke to religious groups, such as at Midland College in Texas, where his message received strong support. A group wrote a covenant, or agreement, showing that a partnership between science and religion could work over time.

In a 2015 interview, Wilson said that religious faith can slow progress. He also mentioned that if he could choose his career again, he would study microbial ecology, a field he worked in during the 1960s. He focused on understanding mass extinctions, which he called the biggest threat to Earth's future. In 1998, he promoted an ecological approach to conservation in government meetings.

From the late 1970s, Wilson worked to protect biodiversity worldwide. His 1984 book Biophilia explored why humans are drawn to nature, introducing the term "biophilia." In 1988, he edited BioDiversity, a book that helped create the modern field of biodiversity studies. In 2011, he led scientific expeditions to Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique and to islands in the Pacific. He worked with groups like the Earth Institute, the American Museum of Natural History, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Wilson believed that saving forests is critical. He supported the "Act to Save America's Forests" and the "Forests Now Declaration," which aimed to protect tropical forests through economic strategies. He compared destroying a rainforest to burning a Renaissance painting for food. In 2014, he proposed setting aside half of Earth's land for wildlife, an idea that became the basis of his book Half-Earth (2016) and the Half-Earth Project.

Wilson helped start the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), a global database with information on nearly all known species. He also discovered and named over 400 species of ants.

Retirement and death

In 1996, Wilson officially retired from Harvard University, where he continued to hold the titles of Professor Emeritus and Honorary Curator in Entomology. He fully retired from Harvard in 2002 at age 73. After retiring, he published over 12 books, including a digital biology textbook designed for the iPad.

He founded the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, which supports the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and operates as an "independent foundation" at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Wilson became a special lecturer at Duke University as part of this agreement.

Wilson and his wife, Irene, lived in Lexington, Massachusetts. He had a daughter named Catherine. His wife passed away on August 7, 2021. He passed away in nearby Burlington, Massachusetts on December 26, 2021, at the age of 92.

Awards and honors

Wilson's scientific and conservation honors include:

• Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, chosen in 1959
• Member of the National Academy of Sciences, chosen in 1969
• Member of the American Philosophical Society, chosen in 1976
• U.S. National Medal of Science, 1977
• Leidy Award, 1979, from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
• Pulitzer Prize for On Human Nature, 1979
• Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, 1984
• ECI Prize, International Ecology Institute, terrestrial ecology, 1987
• Honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Mathematics and Science at Uppsala University, Sweden, 1987
• Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, 1988
• His books The Insect Societies and Sociobiology: The New Synthesis received the Science Citation Classic award from the Institute for Scientific Information
• Crafoord Prize, 1990, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Pulitzer Prize for The Ants (with Bert Hölldobler), 1991
• International Prize for Biology, 1993
• Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science, 1994
• The National Audubon Society's Audubon Medal, 1995
• Time magazine's 25 Most Influential People in America, 1995
• Certificate of Distinction, International Congresses of Entomology, Florence, Italy, 1996
• Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences of the American Philosophical Society, 1998
• American Humanist Association's 1999 Humanist of the Year
• Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science, 2000
• Nierenberg Prize, 2001
• Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, 2004
• Dauphin Island Sea Lab named one of its research vessels the R/V E.O. Wilson
• Linnean Tercentenary Silver Medal, 2006
• Addison Emery Verrill Medal from the Peabody Museum of Natural History, 2007
• TED Prize, 2007, given yearly to "honor a maximum of three individuals who have shown that they can, in some way, positively impact life on this planet"
• XIX Premi Internacional Catalunya, 2007
• E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center established on Nokuse Plantation in Walton County, Florida, 2009
• The Explorers Club Medal, 2009
• BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, 2010, Ecology and Conservation Biology Category
• Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture, 2010
• 2010 Heartland Prize for fiction for his first novel Anthill: A Novel
• EarthSky Science Communicator of the Year, 2010
• International Cosmos Prize, 2012
• Fellow of the Ecological Society of America, 2012
• Kew International Medal, 2014
• Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from the American Museum of Natural History, 2014
• 2016 Harper Lee Award
• Commemoration in the species' epithet of Myrmoderus eowilsoni, 2018
• Commemoration in the species' epithet of Miniopterus wilsoni, 2020
• Busk Medal by the Royal Geographical Society, 2002.

Main works

• Brown, W. L.; Wilson, E. O. (1956). "Character displacement." Systematic Zoology. 5 (2): 49–64. doi: 10.2307/2411924. JSTOR 2411924. Co-authored with William Brown Jr. This paper was honored in 1986 as a Science Citation Classic, meaning it is one of the most frequently cited scientific papers of all time.
• The Theory of Island Biogeography (1967), published by Princeton University Press. A 2001 reprint is also available (ISBN 978-0-691-08836-5), co-authored with Robert H. MacArthur.
• The Insect Societies (1971), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-45490-3).
• Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975), published by Harvard University Press. A 2000 reprint is available (ISBN 978-0-674-00089-6).
• On Human Nature (1979), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-01638-5). This book won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
• Genes, Mind and Culture: The Coevolutionary Process (1981), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-34475-4).
• Promethean Fire: Reflections on the Origin of Mind (1983), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-71445-8).
• Biophilia (1984), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-07441-5).
• Success and Dominance in Ecosystems: The Case of the Social Insects (1990), published by Inter-Research (ISSN 0932-2205).
• The Ants (1990), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-04075-5). This book won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize, co-authored with Bert Hölldobler.
• The Diversity of Life (1992), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-21298-5). A special edition is also available (ISBN 978-0-674-21299-2).
• The Biophilia Hypothesis (1993), published by Shearwater Books (ISBN 978-1-55963-148-8), co-authored with Stephen R. Kellert.
• Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration (1994), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-48525-9), co-authored with Bert Hölldobler.
• Naturalist (1994), published by Shearwater Books (ISBN 978-1-55963-288-1).
• In Search of Nature (1996), published by Shearwater Books (ISBN 978-1-55963-215-7), co-authored with Laura Simonds Southworth.
• Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge (1998), published by Knopf (ISBN 978-0-679-45077-1).
• The Future of Life (2002), published by Knopf (ISBN 978-0-679-45078-8).
• Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus (2003), published by Harvard University Press (ISBN 978-0-674-00293-7).
• The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth (September 2006), published by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (ISBN 978-0-393-06217-5).
• Nature Revealed: Selected Writings 1949–2006 (ISBN 978-0-8018-8329-3).
• The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies (2009), published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. (ISBN 978-0-393-06704-0), co-authored with Bert Hölldobler.
• Anthill: A Novel (April 2010), published by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (ISBN 978-0-393-07119-1).
• Kingdom of Ants: Jose Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History in the New World (2010), published by Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, co-authored with José María Gómez Durán (ISBN 978-0-8018-9785-6).
• The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct (2011), published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. (ISBN 978-0-393-33868-3), co-authored with Bert Hölldobler.
• The Social Conquest of Earth (2012), published by Liveright Publishing Corporation, New York (ISBN 978-0-87140-363-6).
• Letters to a Young Scientist (2014), published by Liveright (ISBN 978-0-87140-385-8).
• A Window on Eternity: A Biologist's Walk Through Gorongosa National Park (2014), published by Simon & Schuster (ISBN 978-1-4767-4741-5).
• The Meaning of Human Existence (2014), published by Liveright (ISBN 978-0-87140-100-7).
• Half-Earth (2016), published by Liveright (ISBN 978-1-63149-082-8).
• The Origins of Creativity