The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author
by Richard Dawkins
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard DawkinsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-05-25
ISBN: 0199291152
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author
Book Review: An Inconvenient Truth
Summary: 5 Stars
Science can explain exactly how rainbows form, does this rob the rainbow of its beauty? Would love feel any less real if we could identify the neurological circuitry associated with the feelings? I would like to think that those are two different areas and we need not confuse the difference.
"The Selfish Gene" gives us a stunning insight into what drives us as human beings to procreate (obvious) and even to be altruistic (not obvious). At the heart of the matter is the "Selfish Gene" which *seems* to seek to multiply itself in the smartest ways to survive the longest. Sometimes one needs to take a "game theory" view, which leads to counter-intuitive conclusions.
Continually Richard Dawkins repeats the mantra that just because something *is* in nature, does not mean that we *ought* to follow this way. The history of humanity is about rising above nature, subduing nature, thanks to our intellect. This may be a story about how we got here, but now we have the intellect to guide where we want to go.
Richard Dawkins scientific acumen cannot be denied, nor can his ability to communicate science to the masses. Richard has successfully introduced a new word into the English language through this book, the word "meme", which is analogous to a gene but is transferred in the mind.
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Summary of The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk.
This 30th anniversary edition of Dawkins' fascinating book retains all original material, including the two enlightening chapters added in the second edition. In a new Introduction the author presents his thoughts thirty years after the publication of his first and most famous book, while the inclusion of the two-page original Foreword by brilliant American scientist Robert Trivers shows the enthusiastic reaction of the scientific community at that time. This edition is a celebration of a remarkable exposition of evolutionary thought, a work that has been widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, and that continues to stimulate whole new areas of research today.
Inheriting the mantle of revolutionary biologist from Darwin, Watson, and Crick, Richard Dawkins forced an enormous change in the way we see ourselves and the world with the publication of The Selfish Gene. Suppose, instead of thinking about organisms using genes to reproduce themselves, as we had since Mendel's work was rediscovered, we turn it around and imagine that "our" genes build and maintain us in order to make more genes. That simple reversal seems to answer many puzzlers which had stumped scientists for years, and we haven't thought of evolution in the same way since.
Why are there miles and miles of "unused" DNA within each of our bodies? Why should a bee give up its own chance to reproduce to help raise her sisters and brothers? With a prophet's clarity, Dawkins told us the answers from the perspective of molecules competing for limited space and resources to produce more of their own kind. Drawing fascinating examples from every field of biology, he paved the way for a serious re-evaluation of evolution. He also introduced the concept of self-reproducing ideas, or memes, which (seemingly) use humans exclusively for their propagation. If we are puppets, he says, at least we can try to understand our strings. --Rob Lightner
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