Editing Stephen Jay Gould (section)

====Against ''Sociobiology''====
In 1975, Gould's Harvard colleague [[E. O. Wilson]] introduced his analysis of animal behavior (including human behavior) based on a sociobiological framework that suggested that many social behaviors have a strong evolutionary basis.<ref>
Wilson, E. O. (1975). ''[[Sociobiology: The New Synthesis]]''. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.</ref> In response, Gould, [[Richard Lewontin]], and [[Sociobiology Study Group|others]] from the Boston area wrote the subsequently well-referenced letter to ''[[The New York Review of Books]]'' entitled, "Against 'Sociobiology'". This [[open letter]] criticized Wilson's notion of a "deterministic view of human society and human action".<ref>
Allen, Elizabeth, et al. (1975). [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/9017?sess=305fe41afae729849e1e7eb4b004bb81 "Against 'Sociobiology'".] [letter] ''[[New York Review of Books]]'' 22 (Nov. 13): 182, 184–186.</ref>

But Gould did not rule out sociobiological explanations for many aspects of animal behavior, and later wrote: "Sociobiologists have broadened their range of selective stories by invoking concepts of [[inclusive fitness]] and [[kin selection]] to solve (successfully I think) the vexatious problem of [[altruism]]—previously the greatest stumbling block to a Darwinian theory of social behavior... Here sociobiology has had and will continue to have success. And here I wish it well. For it represents an extension of basic Darwinism to a realm where it should apply."<ref>Gould, S. J. (1980). "Sociobiology and the Theory of Natural Selection". In G. W. Barlow and J. Silverberg, eds., ''Sociobiology: Beyond Nature/Nurture?'' Boulder CO: Westview Press, pp. 257–269.</ref>

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