E. O. Wilson Quotes

A collection of quotes by E. O. Wilson.

Edward Osborne Wilson, commonly known as E. O. Wilson, is a renowned American biologist, researcher, and author, specializing in the study of ants and social insects. Born on June 10, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama, Wilson is considered one of the greatest living scientists and a key figure in the field of sociobiology, which explores the biological basis of social behavior.

Having developed a fascination with the natural world as a child, Wilson went on to earn his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1955. Throughout his career as a professor, including his long-standing association with Harvard, Wilson made significant contributions to the understanding of ant societies, ecology, and biodiversity. He pioneered the concept of sociobiology, arguing that social behavior, including human behavior, is influenced by genetic factors in addition to cultural and environmental factors.

Wilson is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Pulitzer Prizes for his books "The Ants" (1990) and "On Human Nature" (1979). An influential conservationist, he has also written extensively about the importance of protecting biodiversity and preserving our natural environment. The coined the term "biophilia" to describe the innate human connection to nature.

Beyond his scholarly work and conservation efforts, Wilson is a prominent science communicator, working to make complex scientific concepts accessible to the general public. With his profound impact on our understanding of the natural world and his endeavors in environmental advocacy, E. O. Wilson has left an indelible mark on the scientific community and beyond.

We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. T

We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.

The toxic mix of religion and tribalism has become so danger

The toxic mix of religion and tribalism has become so dangerous as to justify taking seriously the alternative view, that humanism based on science is the effective antidote, the light and the way at last placed before us.

Religion Science Light

Individual versus group selection results in a mix of altrui

Individual versus group selection results in a mix of altruism and selfishness, of virtue and sin, among the members of a society.

The education of women is the best way to save the environme

The education of women is the best way to save the environment.

But I feel music has a very important role in ritual activit

But I feel music has a very important role in ritual activity, and that being able to join in musical activity, along with dancing, could have been necessary at a very early stage of human culture.

Political ideology can corrupt the mind, and science.

Political ideology can corrupt the mind, and science.

So in my freshman year at the University of Alabama, learnin

So in my freshman year at the University of Alabama, learning the literature on evolution, what was known about it biologically, just gradually transformed me by taking me out of literalism and increasingly into a more secular, scientific view of the world.

I had in mind a message, although I hope it doesn't intrude

I had in mind a message, although I hope it doesn't intrude too badly, persuading Americans, and especially Southerners, of the critical importance of land and our vanishing natural environment and wildlife.

If we were to wipe out insects alone on this planet, the res

If we were to wipe out insects alone on this planet, the rest of life and humanity with it would mostly disappear from the land. Within a few months.

I was a senior in high school when I decided I wanted to wor

I was a senior in high school when I decided I wanted to work on ants as a career. I just fell in love with them, and have never regretted it.

If history and science have taught us anything, it is that p

If history and science have taught us anything, it is that passion and desire are not the same as truth.

Theology made no provision for evolution. The biblical autho

Theology made no provision for evolution. The biblical authors had missed the most important revelation of all! Could it be that they were not really privy to the thoughts of God?

People respect nonfiction but they read novels.

People respect nonfiction but they read novels.

Every major religion today is a winner in the Darwinian stru

Every major religion today is a winner in the Darwinian struggle waged among cultures, and none ever flourished by tolerating its rivals.

By any reasonable measure of achievement, the faith of the E

By any reasonable measure of achievement, the faith of the Enlightenment thinkers in science was justified.

If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven.

If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven. When lost, they will find another way. The moral imperative of humanism is the endeavor alone, whether successful or not, provided the effort is honorable and failure memorable.

Religious beliefs evolved by group-selection, tribe competin

Religious beliefs evolved by group-selection, tribe competing against tribe, and the illogic of religions is not a weakness but their essential strength.

I thought perhaps it should be recognized that religious peo

I thought perhaps it should be recognized that religious people, including fundamentalists, are quite intelligent, many of them are highly educated, and they should be treated with complete respect.

True character arises from a deeper well than religion.

True character arises from a deeper well than religion.

A very Faustian choice is upon us: whether to accept our cor

A very Faustian choice is upon us: whether to accept our corrosive and risky behavior as the unavoidable price of population and economic growth, or to take stock of ourselves and search for a new environmental ethic.