Though did you mean, "Understanding sociology as Darwinian ecology at human scale is core to libertarianism."? Because the notion that ecology is characterized only by "the law of the jungle" is also strongly debated. Even "the selfish gene" is debatable simplistic reductionism. Individuals aren't the only actors; there are higher order emergent entities, e.g. species and ecosystems, that also evolve to perpetuate themselves and flourish, much like our own bodies are cooperative and interdependent systems of cells (with native and foreign DNA, the latter existing primarily in our GI tract) that originally evolved as single-celled "selfish" organisms.
And as you point out, "we have the cognitive ability" that nature lacks. We can do at least as well.
As to "lofty", I agree. But let's consider other things that were once considered lofty if not insanity:
- in ancient Greece, that democracy should be extended beyond the aristocracy
- in Medieval Europe, that democracy should exist at all, that the divine right of kings should be seen as a scam
- in the 19th century United States, that democracy should include women and blacks
- in the 1970's United States, that lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transexuals and queers should be treated with the same dignity as straights, should be able to marry, adopt children and serve in the military. And that we stop using "he/him" by default as you just did because that is an artifact of patriarchy as well as outmoded thinking about even binary gender.
- in India today, that when a woman is raped, she should be protected by law and the male rapist should be punished, not the other way around. The same proposition if proposed in America or Europe not all that long ago.
Though did you mean, "Understanding sociology as Darwinian ecology at human scale is core to libertarianism."? Because the notion that ecology is characterized only by "the law of the jungle" is also strongly debated. Even "the selfish gene" is debatable simplistic reductionism. Individuals aren't the only actors; there are higher order emergent entities, e.g. species and ecosystems, that also evolve to perpetuate themselves and flourish, much like our own bodies are cooperative and interdependent systems of cells (with native and foreign DNA, the latter existing primarily in our GI tract) that originally evolved as single-celled "selfish" organisms.
And as you point out, "we have the cognitive ability" that nature lacks. We can do at least as well.
As to "lofty", I agree. But let's consider other things that were once considered lofty if not insanity:
- in ancient Greece, that democracy should be extended beyond the aristocracy
- in Medieval Europe, that democracy should exist at all, that the divine right of kings should be seen as a scam
- in the 19th century United States, that democracy should include women and blacks
- in the 1970's United States, that lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transexuals and queers should be treated with the same dignity as straights, should be able to marry, adopt children and serve in the military. And that we stop using "he/him" by default as you just did because that is an artifact of patriarchy as well as outmoded thinking about even binary gender.
- in India today, that when a woman is raped, she should be protected by law and the male rapist should be punished, not the other way around. The same proposition if proposed in America or Europe not all that long ago.
- I can make a really long list but you get it :)