Contextual Quote

"The human condition is an unstable mix of altruism and selfishness, of virtues and sin. Even among the most altruistic, competitiveness cannot be restrained."

- E.O. Wilson (The Social Conquest of Earth, 2012)

Description

"First the social insects ruled, from 60 million years ago. Then a species of social mammals took over, from 10 thousand years ago. Both sets of “eusocial” animals mastered the supremely delicate art of encouraging altruism, so that individuals in the groups would act as if they value the goal of the group over their own goals. They would specialize for the group and die for the group. In recent decades the idea of “kin selection” seemed to explain how such an astonishing phenomenon could evolve. Wilson replaces kin selection with “multi-level selection,” which incorporates "both" individual selection (long well understood) and group selection (long considered taboo). Every human and every human society has to learn how to manage adroitly the perpetual ambiguity and conflict between individual needs and group needs. What I need is never the same as what we need."

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsgXYflLQjU)

Discussion

Will Ruddick and Aude Peronne:

" Wilson’s late works, particularly The Social Conquest of Earth (2012), offer a blueprint for proto-social structures — foundational frameworks for resource sharing, mutual support, and societal resilience — that are both ancient and urgently relevant today.

Wilson taught us that both cooperation and competition are inseparable forces shaping complex societies. Cooperation enables group formation, resource sharing, protection, and collective knowledge transfer, laying the groundwork for proto-social structures. Yet within these groups, competition is equally vital, fostering innovation, excellence, and individual contributions. This synergy of unity and individuality, Wilson argued, is at the core of human social evolution."

(https://willruddick.substack.com/p/insights-from-eo-wilsons-legacy)