Sociobiology - Research Article from Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics

This encyclopedia article consists of approximately 8 pages of information about Sociobiology.

Sociobiology - Research Article from Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics

This encyclopedia article consists of approximately 8 pages of information about Sociobiology.
This section contains 2,130 words
(approx. 8 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Sociobiology Encyclopedia Article

Sociobiology denotes the attempt to provide a biological explanation for the social behavior of animals, including humans, although the focus is more often on social insects such as ants and honey bees. Because ethics is also concerned with social behavior among human beings, achievements in sociobiology may also have implications for a possible science of ethics.


The Darwinian Background

As a term the word sociobiology first appears in Principles of Animal Ecology (1949) by Warder C. Allee, Alfred E. Emerson, et al., but the subject matter is much older. In On the Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin argued that there is constant population pressure brought on by the fact that numbers of organisms always outstrip food and other resources. There is therefore a constant struggle for existence. Some organisms have features enabling them to better succeed in the struggle, and thus there is a natural selection of the winners...

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This section contains 2,130 words
(approx. 8 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Sociobiology Encyclopedia Article
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Macmillan
Sociobiology from Macmillan. Copyright © 2001-2006 by Macmillan Reference USA, an imprint of the Gale Group. All rights reserved.