http://www.ibiblio.org/Dave/Dr-Fun/df200510/df20051025.jpg
I know a bit about E.O. Wilson, he is considered a pioneer in a field called sociobiology and is famous for saying “Genes hold culture on a leash”. So anyways, whats up with the cartoon?
(I’m no expert on E.O. Wilson, but…) isn’t the joke that it’s taking the “socio” part of biology to the extreme?
I just take it to mean that he believes that cultural behavior is strongly shaped by biology and that applies to all species.
He is amazed and disturbed that the ants genes are causing them to form a Nazi unit. What are the rest of the Army ants going to do?
you two nailed it, thanks!
Dunno if the cartoonist knows it – but Wilson’s specialty in biology is ants.
Yep. Wilson has long had a great fascination with ant behavior. In the biology survey course I took under him, most of the lab exercises were working with the huge ant colonies the bio department kept. It was really cool, they even had a leaf-cutter colony.
Napoleonic Nazis? Are they filming a remake of Kolberg?