Caniglia Guido
Center for Biology and Society, Arizona State University, PO Box 873301, Tempe, AZ 85287-3301, United States.
Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci. 2017 Aug;64:41-52. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2017.06.005. Epub 2017 Jun 30.
William D. Hamilton's name is often connected to important theoretical accomplishments, from the theory of inclusive fitness and kin selection to the so-called Hamilton's rule and the haplodiploidy hypothesis. This article asks: How did Hamilton attempt to test his theory and hypothesis against the complexity of the biological world? The article reconstructs Hamilton's empirical work with social wasps between 1963 and 1968, the years before and after the publication of the groundbreaking "The Genetical Evolution of Social Behavior" in 1964. It points out the centrality of Hamilton's work on wasps and shows how the British scientist attempted to test theories and hypotheses with naturalistic, developmental, and physiological observations as well as, at times, with experimental manipulations. The article offers a new perspective on the history of the scientific understanding of the evolution of social behavior. In contrast to existing narratives, this perspective emphasizes the importance of empirical work-e.g. natural history, physiology, comparative anatomy-which is often obscured by a nearly exclusive focus on theoretical developments in this field.
威廉·D·汉密尔顿的名字常常与重要的理论成就联系在一起，从广义适合度理论和亲属选择理论到所谓的汉密尔顿法则和单双倍体假说。本文提出：汉密尔顿是如何试图针对生物世界的复杂性来检验他的理论和假说的？本文重构了汉密尔顿在1963年至1968年间对社会性黄蜂的实证研究工作，这是1964年具有开创性的《社会行为的遗传进化》发表前后的几年。文章指出了汉密尔顿对黄蜂研究工作的核心地位，并展示了这位英国科学家是如何试图通过自然主义、发育学和生理学观察，以及有时通过实验操作来检验理论和假说的。本文为社会行为进化的科学理解史提供了一个新视角。与现有叙述不同，这一视角强调了实证工作的重要性，如自然史、生理学、比较解剖学，而这些工作在该领域几乎只关注理论发展的情况下常常被忽视。
