sociobiology
noun
so·cio·bi·ol·o·gy
ˌsō-sē-ō-bī-ˈä-lə-jē 
ˌsō-shē-
: the comparative study of social organization and behavior in animals including humans especially with regard to its genetic basis and evolutionary history
Examples of sociobiology in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Another concern is that Fukuyama's attempt to ground social structures in sociobiology is unsuccessful; listing supposedly innate attributes of human beings does not help explain their social and political institutions.
—
Michael Mann, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2012
Every new science since the mid-century, including sociobiology and neuroscience, has claimed to answer the big questions about humanity’s meaning.
—Stefanos Geroulanos, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2024
To the contrary, there has been a ceaseless multiplication of rival and largely incompatible sciences of human behavior: stimulus response, sociobiology, rational choice theory, various structuralisms, many attempts at socioneuroscience, and so on.
—Jason Blakely, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
In the 1970s, his study of social ants, bees, wasps, and termites led him to create the field of sociobiology, which shattered then-popular dogma that babies are born tabula rasa, or with their minds a blank slate to be formed by nurture and learning alone.
—Andrea Stone, Culture, 27 Dec. 2021
But the reality is that sociobiology by 1980 had a major public relations problem, especially in the social sciences, which was dominated by what Toobey and Cosmides termed the Standard Social Science Research Model.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2011
Along with this activist work, Dagg also writes about her work on sociobiology, as well as her local environmental efforts.
—Guest, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2019
For fields like population genetics, evolutionary psychology and sociobiology, the gene is a unit of calculation in the exact sense formulated by Johannsen in 1909.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2013
Wilson’s sociobiology theories transformed the field of biology and reignited the nature vs. nurture debate among scientists.
—NBC News, 27 Dec. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Michael Mann, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2012
Every new science since the mid-century, including sociobiology and neuroscience, has claimed to answer the big questions about humanity’s meaning.
—Stefanos Geroulanos, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2024
To the contrary, there has been a ceaseless multiplication of rival and largely incompatible sciences of human behavior: stimulus response, sociobiology, rational choice theory, various structuralisms, many attempts at socioneuroscience, and so on.
—Jason Blakely, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
In the 1970s, his study of social ants, bees, wasps, and termites led him to create the field of sociobiology, which shattered then-popular dogma that babies are born tabula rasa, or with their minds a blank slate to be formed by nurture and learning alone.
—Andrea Stone, Culture, 27 Dec. 2021
But the reality is that sociobiology by 1980 had a major public relations problem, especially in the social sciences, which was dominated by what Toobey and Cosmides termed the Standard Social Science Research Model.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2011
Along with this activist work, Dagg also writes about her work on sociobiology, as well as her local environmental efforts.
—Guest, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2019
For fields like population genetics, evolutionary psychology and sociobiology, the gene is a unit of calculation in the exact sense formulated by Johannsen in 1909.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2013
Wilson’s sociobiology theories transformed the field of biology and reignited the nature vs. nurture debate among scientists.
—NBC News, 27 Dec. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near sociobiology
Cite this Entry
“Sociobiology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sociobiology. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sociobiology
noun
so·cio·bi·ol·o·gy
ˌsō-sē-ō-bī-ˈäl-ə-jē, ˌsō-shē-
plural sociobiologies
: the comparative study of the biological basis of social organization and behavior in animals and humans especially with regard to their genetic basis and evolutionary history
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share