Interview with E.O. Wilson
Your contributions to the human experience are wide-ranging, from environmental advocacy and scientific humanism to the fields of ecology, entomology and sociobiology. What part of your work are you most proud of?
Since you ask, I’ll risk undue pride by listing three: (1) with Robert H. MacArthur, in the 1960s, The Theory of Island Biogeography, a stanchion of modern conservation science; also in the 1960s, with work on ant communication, (2) the founding of the modern study of pheromones and chemical communication; and in 1971, The Insect Societies and 1975, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, and finally, in 1978, On Human Nature, (3) the founding of sociobiology and its derivative, evolutionary psychology.
Your passion for insects and the natural world began at a young age. What was it that sparked this passion, and how did it develop into your biological specialty, myrmecology (the study of ants)?
From start (age 9) to near finish (age 89), hunting wild environments for insects has been a constant, inspiring adventure.
How has your study of ants informed your understanding of biology in general? Have you gleaned any particular insights from myrmecology that may enrich our relationship with the natural world?
It’s been reciprocal. Environmental science and general biology gave me a professional incentive to study ants; and the reverse.