Michael Reidy is Professor of History in the Department of History and Philosophy at Montana State University. His special niche in research is how the sport of mountaineering advanced the practice of science in the nineteenth century. But in this talk for the Institute on Ecosystems Rough Cut Science series, he discusses a more general and contentious topic in the history of science, namely the rise of sociobiology. Along with biographical details about the best-known proponent, E. O. Wilson, Reidy also mentions an earlier contributor, the 19th century Russian scientist and anarchist Peter Kropotkin. The evolution of sociobiology continues today, with modern genetics affecting thought across many disciplines.

Recorded at Montana State University on September 25, 2019.