This volume has its origin in the conference on ‘The Roots of Sociobiology’, held by the Past and Present Society in conjunction with the British Society for the History of Science on 29 September 1978. The volume comprises revised texts of the four main papers delivered at the conference by Harrison, Mackenzie, Searle and Norton, together with additional contributions by other participants in the conference: Durant, Dyhouse, Kevles, Sutherland and Weindling. The editor is particularly grateful to John Durant and Paul Weindling for preparing full-length contributions at relatively short notice. The brief Introduction is designed to provide a context, without in any way duplicating the contents of the volume.

As might be expected the conference was heavily subscribed and included much lively debate on controversial issues. The organizers were grateful to Professor J. Maynard Smith for representing the biologist position, and to Dr R. M. Young and members of the Radical Science Collective for their contribution and criticisms. Dr W. H. Bynum and Mr G. L'E. Turner from the British Society assisted with the organization of the meeting.

The essays by Kevles and Sutherland are to appear separately in Isis and D. Hamilton and J. V. Smith (eds.), The Meritocratic Intellect: Studies in the History of Educational Research (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1980) respectively. The editor and the Past and Present Society would like to thank the editor of The Journal of Social History for permission to reprint the essay by Dyhouse.

The index has been prepared by Penelope M. Gouk. Corpus Christi College, Oxford