Cliché about “alpha males” and so forth are so deeply ingrained in our culture that I had no idea what they specifically referred to. Apparently, though, it refers to research on hierarchical behavior in wolf packs, research that was done in the 1960s and popularized in part through David Mech’s book The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species.
And in this fascinating video (via Jim Henley) Mech explains why that research is outdated and people should drop the idea:
As Jim says, “this is how science is supposed to work but doesn’t, necessarily. Open-mindedness, readiness to renounce superceded views.”
Previous in TP Yglesias
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