A reader just informed me that Bob Trivers just won the Crafoord Prize in bioscience! For those who would like to become more familiar with Trivers' work, I highly recommend Natural Selection and Social Theory. Genes in Conflict is also a good read if you want some molecular level evolutionary exposition. Finally, Trivers looms large in both Mother Nature and Defenders of the Truth. If you don't know anyting about Trivers, I suggest this Edge Special Event.
Robert Trivers introduced concepts such as reciprocal altruism in the 1970s which revolutionized social theory, and serve as the atomic units upon which higher order explanations of animal (and human) behavior often build. In Defenders of the Truth Ullica Segerstrale chronicles how Trivers was in many ways the "mad genius" (literally, he has bipolar disorder) behind E.O. Wilson leading up the publication of Sociobiology. In many ways Trivers' approach in evolutionary biology is that of a neoclassical economist, reductionistic, logical and couched in simplifying formalisms. Of course this has its draw backs, but, I believe it is an essential base on which other models and paradigms may be scaffolded.
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I am a clinical psychologist. I think evolutionary psychology is fascinating, but I could not explain behavior with it now. For example, there may be an evolutionary basis for detecting cheating, but it doesn't function in our complex society. OCD may be an evolutionary cautiousness gone awry, but I couldn't treat a patient knowing that. I hope evolutionary psychologist don't become like behaviorist were and think any other approach is foolish.
He is a great scientist and a very good friend and know one deserves it more than him.
He won the prize, then soils it by writing this uncollegial screed in the WSJ actually threatening another academic:
According to Wikipedia:
The Black Panthers bit show really bad judgment. The failure to get into Yale law makes me wonder if the guy is jealous of Dershowitz, the famous Harvard lawyer.
In any case, with scientists conducting themselves like this, it's no wonder the public has lost its trust.