David Sloan Wilson
contemporaryEvolutionary Biology and Philosophy of Biologyb. 1949
David Sloan Wilson is an American evolutionary biologist and philosopher best known for championing multilevel selection theory and applying evolutionary thinking to human social behavior, religion, and cultural change. He is SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Binghamton University and co-founder of the Evolution Institute, promoting the use of evolutionary science to address real-world problems.
Notable Achievements
1
Revived and developed multilevel (group) selection theory in evolutionary biology
2
Co-authored Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior with Elliott Sober
3
Authored Darwin's Cathedral, applying evolutionary theory to religion as a group-level adaptation
4
Founded the Evolution Institute to apply evolutionary science to public policy
5
Advanced the study of prosociality and cultural evolution through empirical and theoretical work