The New Evolution Institute and the Science-to-Narrative Chain by David Sloan Wilson, President

Welcome to the Evolution Institute’s new website, your portal to understanding and improving the human condition. Darwin’s theory of evolution, which unified the life sciences during the 20st century, is now in the process of unifying the human-related sciences—and with understanding comes the capacity to improve. The practical applications of the new synthesis promise to enhance our ability to improve the quality of life at all scales, from a single child to the global village.

The EI started in 2007 and, like other think tanks, examines real-world issues such as education, urban revitalization, the economy, and international relations. Unlike other think tanks, the EI approaches all of these topics from a unified theoretical perspective, in the same way that biologists study the rest of life.

The new EI website consists of three sections that are links in a communication strategy that we call the Science-to-Narrative-Chain. Science is necessary but not sufficient to solve the problems of human existence. In addition, the science must be connected to narratives that reach people who don’t have special training. Moreover, the narratives must be anchored to the science with a chain of intermediate material providing successive depth, so that those who become engaged at the narrative end, either as proponents or skeptics, can deepen their knowledge until they arrive at the science end.

The Evolution Institute section of the website reports on EI projects, which span the range from basic scientific research to implementations in real-world settings. It is the link closest to the science (and expert policy) end of the chain. The Social Evolution Forum provides an arena for experts studying all aspects of humanity from an evolutionary perspective to blog and debate with each other. The EI’s online magazine This View of Life, which takes its title from the last passage of Darwin’s Origin of Species (“There is grandeur in this view of life…”) reports on anything and everything from an evolutionary perspective for the general public, including EI projects and other contributions to the evolutionary synthesis in progress. It is the link closest to the narrative end. Each section can be browsed separately but the reader may be best served by looking at related content throughout the website, by clicking on the appropriate icons in the search area.

In its three capacities, the EI is proud to serve as a catalyst for the unification of biological and human-related knowledge. Enjoy!

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David Sloan Wilson

David Sloan Wilson is SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He applies evolutionary theory to all aspects of humanity in addition to the rest of life, both in his own research and as director of EvoS, a unique campus-wide evolutionary studies program that recently received NSF funding to expand into a nationwide consortium. His books include Darwin’s Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society, Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin’s Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives, and The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time and Does Altruism Exist? Culture, Genes, and the Welfare of Others. .