Wilson Responds

Edward O. Wilson, professor of Zoology, Thursday called a letter to the New York Review of Books attacking his book, "Sociobiology: The New Synthesis," loaded with "distortions" and "false statements."

Four Harvard professors and three Harvard medical students were among 15 signers of the letter, which accused Wilson of drawing conclusions about human behavior not based on empirical evidence and attempting to justify existing political and social inequities.

In a letter to the New York Review of Books, Wilson defended the apolitical character of his work.

Wilson cited an article he wrote for the October 12 New York Times Magazine, in which he said, "When any genetic bias is demonstrated, it cannot be used to justify a continuing practice in present and future societies."

Wilson did not address himself to the charges that he based his conclusions about the genetic foundation of human behavior on non-empirical evidence.