All human societies have engaged in warfare, and all have developed various regulations for police engagement in violence and to “minimize the subtler but inevitable forms of conflict” (99). One of these behaviors is aggression, the subject of Chapter 5. In “lower” animals, genetic inheritance can completely govern behavior, but in “higher” animals-humans being the apex example-behavior rooted in genetics is influenced by education and cultural conditioning. Wilson uses language as an example of human exceptionalism, as the human brain seems particularly suited to the conception and employment of complex sentence structures.Ĭhapter 4 broaches the topic of determinism and free will, exploring the implications of the genetic structure of an individual completely governing its development and behavior. At the same time, human nature is such that it is innately designed to manifest in particular ways Edward O. The main point in this chapter is to highlight what the author calls “genetic determinism,” or the reality that an individual’s genetic makeup is inescapably linked to their development, and that this plays out on the scale of an entire species and its evolution.Īs an individual grows and matures (as outlined in Chapter 3), the genetic inheritance they receive from their parents begins to manifest in clearer and more divergent ways. When viewed in this light, it is easy to assume that “morality evolved as instinct” (5)-one of many dilemmas caused by using genetics to explain human nature.Ĭhapter 2 revolves around the study of genetics and the innate capacities made possible by their inheritance.

Biology and the study of genetics is the new mode of studying human nature and understanding the causes of specific human traits and behaviors. The principal thesis is the need for the elevation of sociobiology, a scientific field defined by the synthesis of the natural and social sciences. This guide is based on the 2004 edition, published with a new preface by Harvard University Press.Ĭhapter 1 introduces the topic of On Human Nature and the dilemmas that it necessarily causes.

On Human Nature by Edward O. Wilson