Wilson's Ladder

The following is the basic argument of pop sociobiologists, called Wilson's ladder (Kitcher, 1987).
  1. IF a behavior maximizes fitness, THEN the behavior will exist in virtually all members of a group.
  2. IF a behavior exists in virtually all members of a group, THEN the behavior came about by natural selection.
  3. IF a behavior came about by natural selection, THEN there were once individual differences in the group's genetic makeup.
  4. IF there were once individual differences in the group's genetic makeup, THEN there are differences in the genetic makeup of the present group from its prehistoric ancestors.
  5. IF there are differences in the genetic makeup of the present group from its prehistoric ancestors, THEN the genetically adaptive behavior will be difficult to modify by social engineering.
  6. THEREFORE, IF a behavior maximizes fitness, THEN the genetically adaptive behavior will be difficult to modify by social engineering.

Reference

Kitcher, P. (1987). Précis of Vaulting ambition: Sociobiology and the quest for human nature. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 10, 61-100.

Last modified May 1998
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