David Sloan Wilson (1949- ) is an American evolutionary biologist. Son of the author Sloan Wilson, David Sloan Wilson is a distinguished professor at Binghamton University who works with the distinguished graduate students Omar Tonsi Eldakar, Daniel Tumminelli O'Brien and Andrew Gallup. He is a prominent proponent of the concept of group selection in evolution. He has, along with Elliott Sober in their book Unto Others proposed a framework called multilevel selection theory, which incorporates the more orthodox approach of gene-level selection and individual selection. This framework argues that while genes serve as the means by which organisms' designs are transmitted across generations, individuals and groups are vehicles for those genes and both are arenas for genes to act on. Indeed, genes themselves can be affected by selection, not just because of their effects on the design of their vehicle (the organism) but also because of their effect on the functioning of the DNA on which they reside. Hence, the notion of multilevel selection. Wilson has also coined the concept of a trait-group, a group of organisms linked not permanently as a group but having a shared fate due to interactions that they have. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1932 × 2576 pixel, file size: 9. ... Evolutionary biology is a subfield of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change over time, i. ... Sloan Wilson (8 May 1920 - 25 May 2003) was an American author. ... Overlooking center of campus. ... In evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups, regardless of the fitness of individuals within that group. ... Elliott Sober -- Hans Reichenbach Professor and William F. Vilas Research Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University of Wisconsin. ... In evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups, regardless of the fitness of individuals within that group. ...

Wilson's book Darwin's Cathedral proposes that religion is a group-level adaptation, a product of cultural evolution developed through a process of group selection. In evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups, regardless of the fitness of individuals within that group. ...

His latest book Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives attempts to give an introduction to evolution for a broad audience, detailing the various ways in which evolution can be applied to everyday affairs.

Wilson started the Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program at Binghamton University to provide a program that unifies diverse disciplines under the theory of evolution. Students in the program take evolution-themed courses in a variety of disciplines including biology, anthropology, psychology, bioengineering, and philosophy. SUNY New Paltz has started a similar program. Main quad at SUNY at New Paltz, with Jacobson Faculty Tower and Old Main in the background The State University of New York at New Paltz is a public university in New Paltz, New York. ...

External links

• Wilson's personal homepage
• Review of Darwin's Cathedral by John E. Becker (Carnegie Council)
• "Darwin's God" article in New York Times Magazine for March 4, 2007. Includes interview with Wilson.