Evolution on One Foot

‘‘By the end of this short book, if I have done my job well, the reader will understand why evolutionary theory is essential for accomplishing the altruistic goal of making the world a better place’’. With these intrepid words, David Sloan Wilson opens his new offering, published in a series of little books on big ideas by Yale University Press and titled Does Altruism Exist? The answer, you may not be surprised to learn, is that altruism does exist, whether or not all the interlocutors in this long debate admit it. In order to understand why, we need to readjust our gaze on evolution. Then we’ll be able to change the world. Wilson is SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anthropology at the University of Binghamton, and one of the leading evolutionary theorists of his generation. He has written scholarly and popular books on the evolution of altruism, religion as a multi-level adaptation, and, in The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time, on applying evolutionary principles to better the quality of life in Binghamton, New York.1 His new little book, funded by the Templeton foundation, is a concise summary of the various aspects of his life’s preoccupation, and a good place to take stock.