Edward O Wilson, Professor of Biology at Harvard University is one of the most highly respected scientists in the world today. Hailed as "the new Darwin" by Thomas Wolfe, and one of "America's 25 Most Influential People" by Time Magazine, he has twice received the Pulitzer Prize, (once for The Ants and a second for On Human Nature). He has been honoured with the highest scientific award in the field of ecology -- the Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and received the National Medal of Science. His best-selling book, The Diversity of Life, made him a leader in the environmental movement and an advisor on preservation legislation at the highest levels of the US government. He is a pioneer in the field of socio-biology and one of the most sought after science lecturers in the world.

 

His most recent book, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, is Dr. Wilson's argument that it is only by bridging the chasm between the arts and the sciences that we will understand the way our world works. Consilience has proven to be one of the most discussed books of the year. The Atlantic Monthly devoted two cover stories to it, and reviews from the academic and scientific community have been glowing. Dr. Wilson's case studies drawn from biology, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, the fine arts, religion, economics, physics, and mathematics show how these apparently disparate fields intersect with and inform, rather than exclude one another. In his fascinating presentation, Dr. Wilson shows how a painting by Mondrian may have neurobiological underpinnings, how our fear of snakes may be genetically wired, and how our dreams may be shaped by biological happenings. In sum, how some of the things we assume are mysterious or spiritual may in fact have physical and chemical explanations. This relationship between the natural and social sciences leads to a unity of knowledge by which differing phenomena are actually connected.

 

What is Nature Worth? -- Article by E.O. Wilson