David Sloan Wilson
Biography & Resources

 
 

David Sloan Wilson is Distinguished Professor of Biology with a joint appointment in Anthropology at Binghamton University. He is best known for championing the theory of multilevel selection, which shows how adaptations can evolve at all levels of the biological hierarchy, with implications ranging from the origin of life to the nature of religion. He is author of nearly 200 scientific articles published in biology, anthropology, psychology, and philosophy journals. His academic books include The Natural Selection of Populations and Communities (1980), Unto Others: the evolution and psychology of unselfish behavior (with Elliott Sober; 1998), Darwin's Cathedral: evolution, religion, and the nature of society (2002), and the The Literary Animal: Evolution and the nature of narrative (co-edited with Jonathan Gottschall, 2005). His first book for a general audience, Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives, will be published in Spring 2007 by Bantam Press.

In addition to his own research and writing, Dr. Wilson is director of EvoS, a campus-wide program that strives to use evolutionary theory as a common language to create a single intellectual community, spanning all human related subjects in addition to the natural world.

selected books

Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives
Delacorte Press (March 27, 2007)
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The Literary Animal: Evolution and the Nature of Narrative (Rethinking Theory)
(Northwestern University Press, 2005)
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Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society
(University Of Chicago Press; New Ed edition, 2003)
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Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior
(Harvard University Press; Reprint edition, 1999)
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articles & interviews

Articles & interviews in EnlightenNext magazine

Can Darwin Save Dartmouth From Derrida?
(with Ross Robertson)