In Search of Nature

by Edward O. Wilson

Book Overview

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Perhaps more than any other scientist of our century, Edward O. Wilson has scrutinized animals in their natural settings, tweezing out the dynamics of their social organization, their relationship with their environments, and their behavior, not only for what it tells us about the animals themselves, but for what it can tell us about human nature and our own behavior. He has brought the fascinating and sometimes surprising results of these studies...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155963216X
• ISBN13: 9781559632164
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Island Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great purchase

Very impressed with this seller. Book came fast and in excellent condition at a great price. I would definitley buy from this seller again.

Nature from a Human Perspective

This is a collection of some different essays and articles by Wilson that all fall under the theme of human beings and nature. This is a broad theme, and I liked seeing the different angles that this idea could be approached. Especially fascinating, for me, was the information on insects. Wilson is an expert on these six-legged critters, and it shows. The final essay titled "Is Humanity Suicidal?" makes an intelligent, though heartfelt, plea for environmental responsibility that I like to think might even be thoughtfully considered by present-day flatworlders who are under the misguided impression that global warming is a myth.

excellent in every way

Among all of E.O. Wilson's spectacular books, this one is one of my favorites - not just for the substantial content - but for one of the best cover-designed and illustrated books I have ever seen.Everything about this book is top notch and all who were involved should be applauded.This book is an enduring collection of ideas expressed with lucidity and wisdom.Bravo.

Stimulative reading

This book is not as provocative as 'On human nature'. The writing is not as combative, although it has many of the same themes :- human aggression (he does not agree with Konrad Lorenz - even aggression evolves rapidly - and Erich Fromm - humanity is not suicidal -)- the fallacy of ethics (human nature is to a large extent the heritage of a Pleistocene hunter-gatherer existance)- the place of mankind in Gaia (the totality of Life on Earth). He argues clearly that if human beings were to disappear, the world would go on little changed and would heal itself from the damage inflicted by mankind. The only necessary animals,for Gaia and also for the human species, are the invertebrates.Perhaps the most controversial point of the book are his arguments in defence of racial differences in the human populations, based on genetic components. But as always with E. O. Wilson, his argumentation is based on solid research and clear thinking.

An EXCELLENT read.....

The author has a very easy to read style. It is very succinct and eloquent. If you love nature, you will love this book. The chapter "In the company of ants" is probably one of the best chapters [of any book] that I have ever read. I found the hierarchal structure of the leaf-cutter ants very intriguing. What marvellous little creatures! I'll never look at an ant the same way again. Here's a little snippet for you:"Watch where you step. Be careful of little lives. Feed them crumbs of coffeecake. They also like bits of tuna and whipped cream. Get a magnifying glass. Watch them closely. And you will be as close as any person may ever come to seeing social life as it might evolve on another planet."I also loved three other chapters entitled, "Humanity seen from a distance", "The little things that run the world" and the final chapter, "Is humanity suicidal?". Other interesting chapters are about snakes, or rather serpents, sharks, altruism & aggression, etc. The essence of the book is really as the title suggests, "in search of nature".Towards the end, a sincere and legitimate message is delivered by the author. It is a very moving assertion and everyone, yes everyone, should read it. Edwin O. Wilson is proof that Carl Sagan wasn't the only good author.