From T-Patterns to T-Strings to T-Societies

Abstract

By the mid-1940s, two world wars in less than 40 years saw many millions killed by what were considered some of the world’s most advanced societies. Researchers wanted to make sense of such a world. Some looked to biology and primatology in their pursuit to better understand human behaviour. In 1967, Desmond Morris published The Naked Ape, detailing his primatological perspective of the social behaviour of humans, and in 1965, Niko Tinbergen’s book Animal Behavior became an influence for many researchers in the field. The 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was shared by Tinbergen, Konrad Lorenz, and Karl von Frisch for their ethological discoveries regarding social behaviour patterns in animals.