RIP E.O. Wilson

[LDAHL]

One of the truly great scientists of our time. Author of “Sociobiology” and “On Human Nature”.

I can remember him standing up to the 1970s version of the woke mob, who were enraged that he spoke of a genetic component of behavior.

[catherine]

One of the truly great scientists of our time. Author of “Sociobiology” and “On Human Nature”.

I can remember him standing up to the 1970s version of the woke mob, who were enraged that he spoke of a genetic component of behavior.

Yes, I am grateful for his life work in biodiversity. We have so much to learn from him. Three of his quotes:

"Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal."

"The worst thing that will probably happen--in fact is already well underway--is not energy depletion, economic collapse, conventional war, or the expansion of totalitarian governments. As terrible as these catastrophes would be for us, they can be repaired in a few generations. The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us."

"If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos."

[dado potato]

We have Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology.

E. O. Wilson, University of North Carolina Commencement Address, 2011.

[LDAHL]

I see there was a fatuous hit piece on Wilson in “Scientific American”, taking him to task for “white empiricism”. That magazine used to have higher standards.