What if our political behavior isn't just learned but is deeply embedded in our biological makeup?
This provocative question drove the groundbreaking work of Steven Ames Peterson (1947-2021), a pioneering political scientist who helped found the field of biopolitics and dedicated his career to exploring the biological underpinnings of political behavior. At a time when political science focused almost exclusively on cultural, institutional, and sociological factors, Peterson asked daring questions about evolution's role in shaping our political selves. His work provided fascinating insights into everything from student protests to why authoritarian regimes often outperform democracies—questions that remain critically relevant today.
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"A true gentleman, a role model for his students, faculty," and "a stellar and renown scholar" with a "huge heart full of love and care for everyone" 8 .
Biopolitics represents a paradigm shift in political science—a field that traditionally explained political behavior through learning, socialization, and environmental factors alone. Peterson and his colleagues argued that evolutionary pressures have shaped human political tendencies over millennia, creating biological predispositions that interact with cultural and institutional factors 4 .
Peterson was among the first generation of biopolitical specialists to organize his entire graduate education around combining biology and politics 4 . At SUNY Buffalo's graduate program, he created his own special subfield within political science based on mammalian ethology, primate behavior, genetics, and classic works in biology 4 .
Biopolitics doesn't replace traditional political science but enhances it with insights from biology, neuroscience, genetics, and ethology.
As one of the founders of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) in the early 1980s, Peterson helped establish biopolitics as a legitimate academic discipline 4 .
| Question | Traditional Political Science Answer | Biopolitics Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Why do authoritarian regimes often outperform democracies? | Institutional design, economic factors, leadership | Possible human affinity for hierarchy rooted in evolutionary biology 4 |
| What drives political participation and protest? | Political socialization, partisan identification, rational calculation | Biological predispositions interacting with environmental triggers 8 |
| How do humans make political decisions? | Reason, cost-benefit analysis | Combination of reasoning and evolved heuristics influenced by emotions 4 |
Peterson's dissertation focused on the biological basis of student protest—then a constant and roiling part of American political life 4 . While traditional political science might examine protest through ideological, economic, or sociological frameworks, Peterson investigated potential biological correlates and evolutionary underpinnings of protest behavior.
While specific statistical findings from Peterson's student protest research aren't provided in the search results, we know his work demonstrated the value of biological perspectives in explaining political phenomena that traditional approaches struggled to fully account for 4 .
| Research Area | Key Insight | Academic Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Student Protest | Biological factors contribute to protest participation alongside social factors | Provided new explanatory variables for political behavior models |
| Decision-Making | Emotions influence decisions through heuristics like prospect theory | Challenged purely rational actor models in political science 4 |
| Authoritarianism | Human affinity for hierarchy may explain democracy's mixed performance | Offered novel explanation for global political patterns 4 8 |
Peterson's innovative work required mastering and integrating methodologies from multiple disciplines. His "scientific toolkit" contained both conceptual frameworks and research approaches that enabled his groundbreaking work.
| Research Tool | Function | Application in Biopolitics |
|---|---|---|
| Evolutionary Theory | Provides framework for understanding evolved human behaviors | Explains potential biological bases of political behaviors 8 |
| Prospect Theory | Describes decision-making under risk | Explains political decisions that deviate from rational actor models 4 |
| Comparative Ethology | Studies behavior across species | Identifies possible evolutionary roots of human political behavior |
| Interdisciplinary Synthesis | Integrates insights from multiple fields | Creates comprehensive models of political behavior |
| Historical Analysis | Examines political behavior across time | Identifies patterns suggesting biological influences |
Peterson's 1989 paper "Risky Business: Prospect Theory and Politics" with Robert Lawson helped bridge the gap between psychology, biology, and political science 4 .
One of Peterson's great strengths was his ability to make complex biopolitical concepts accessible to broader audiences—a skill essential for popular science writing. Effective science communication often employs storytelling techniques to maintain an appealing pace, create human connections with readers, and help visualize ideas 3 .
Peterson's writing, particularly in works like Political Behavior: Patterns in Everyday Life and Darwinism, Dominance, and Democracy, demonstrated his commitment to clear communication without sacrificing academic rigor 8 .
Beyond his scholarly contributions, Peterson is remembered for his generosity and mentorship to younger colleagues. As colleagues noted, his "generosity and acumen extended to many younger colleagues over the years, as he championed new voices in biopolitics" 4 .
"Steve was a kind and thoughtful leader—patient and empathetic. He was especially considerate of colleagues beginning their academic careers... guiding them with care, and providing constructive feedback and mentorship to further their professional development" 8 .
Peterson's work remains remarkably relevant today. Questions about why democracies struggle against authoritarian impulses, how biological factors influence voting behavior, and the role of emotion in political decision-making have become increasingly central to political discourse 4 8 .
Graduated magna cum laude from Bradley University
Undergraduate education included senior honors paper on biology and politics 8
Joined Alfred University faculty
Rose through ranks at teaching institution that gave him freedom to pursue biopolitics research 4 8
Co-founded Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
Helped establish institutional foundation for biopolitics as a field 4
Published Darwinism, Dominance, and Democracy with Albert Somit
Seminal work exploring biological bases of authoritarianism 4 8
Became Director of School of Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg
Leadership role he held for nearly two decades while continuing research 8
Co-edited Handbook of Biology and Politics with Albert Somit
Comprehensive volume giving field renewed visibility 4
Steven Peterson's career demonstrates how pioneering scientific work often involves crossing disciplinary boundaries, asking unconventional questions, and maintaining persistence in the face of academic skepticism. His legacy continues not only through his publications but through the field he helped build and the generations of scholars he inspired to explore the biological dimensions of political life.