Why did he start doing this?

Graphic by Sharon

What drove his fascination towards insects?

He always had an interest in insects. “Most children have a bug period,” he wrote in his memoir Naturalist. “I never grew out of mine.”

Furthermore, when he was 7, while fishing, Wilson blinded himself in one eye. He did not seek medical attention for his eye injury, and his eye condition deteriorated the next few month. He had cataract in his right pupil. Wilson had to have his lens removed, of which the “surgery was a terrifying [19th] century ordeal”.

In addition to his partial blindness, he started becoming partially deaf in his adolescence years, so he could not pursue his original interest ornithological fieldwork, which was the study of birds. Ornithology required good vision and acute hearing, both senses of which he was lacking in. As such, he decided to explore the world of insects. Wilson could easily observe insects without straining his damaged senses.

In addition, being an avid reader, Wilson was influenced by the books her grew up reading as well, especially during his teenage years.

Some of the books (and how he was influenced by them) include:

Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

As a young child, Wilson dreamt of going on faraway expeditions to collect insects and other animals. This book engaged his imagination, driving him to become a nesiophile, a lover of islands. The need to learn more about exploration motivated him in later years to develop the Theory of Island Biogeography, which has become an influential part of ecology.

What Is Life? by Erwin Schrodinger

Wilson read this when he was a college freshman. He started thinking of life in more purely physical terms. The author challenged the norm, which intrigued Wilson greatly.

Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis

The book was a vision of a pure life dedicated to seeking scientific truth, instead of becoming involved with hypocrisy and only seeking financial gains.

Heredity and Its Variability by Trofim D. Lysenko

Wilson saw that Lysenko was challenging conventional science in radical and effective ways, and that even the amateur and unseasoned can venture out to explore new ideas and concepts. Wilson understood that it was okay not to just stay in his lane, but to step out of his comfort zone.

E.O. Wilson

Why did he start doing this?