THE SELFISH GENE

360 pages

English language

Published Dec. 4, 2009

ISBN:
978-0-19-929115-1
Copied ISBN!
Goodreads:
61535

View on Inventaire

4 stars (118 reviews)

The Selfish Gene is a 1976 book on evolution by the ethologist Richard Dawkins, in which the author builds upon the principal theory of George C. Williams's Adaptation and Natural Selection (1966). Dawkins uses the term "selfish gene" as a way of expressing the gene-centred view of evolution (as opposed to the views focused on the organism and the group), popularising ideas developed during the 1960s by W. D. Hamilton and others. From the gene-centred view, it follows that the more two individuals are genetically related, the more sense (at the level of the genes) it makes for them to behave cooperatively with each other. A lineage is expected to evolve to maximise its inclusive fitness—the number of copies of its genes passed on globally (rather than by a particular individual). As a result, populations will tend towards an evolutionarily stable strategy. The book also introduces the term meme for …

35 editions

Review of 'The Selfish Gene' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

"Quit being so selfish, Gene!" Jimmy Fallon's fumbled line from SNL's classic "Don't Fear the Reaper" sketch came to mind several times while reading this excellent book. While of course there is little relevance between the two, the more widely known line about cowbells curing fevers does typify a unit of culture for which Dawkins coined the term "meme," which is now itself a meme.

This discussion of memes is what drew me to the book in the first place, but I enjoyed most of the rest of the book even more. There is great food for thought here, most especially the idea that bodies are merely survival machines, constructed and programmed at the whim of the genes inside, sequences of DNA with no purpose other than maximizing their own replication. The genes do this not only by improving their host bodies for their own survival, but also by directing …

Review of 'The Selfish Gene' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Some ideas from the book:

Things prefer persistence, replication can help persistence, evolution (from copying errors or otherwise) is an inevitable consequence of replication. Our bodies are vehicles for our genes to use to create more copies of themselves. A gene may favor helping a sibling or another relative at times because siblings, parents, and offspring are all just as likely to contain the same gene within them. All replicants share certain properties and memes are an interesting example of these gene-like properties.

Review of 'The Selfish Gene' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

Reading "The Selfish Gene" is a classic case of liking the message, disliking the messenger. In general, I did not find anything particularly objectionable to its content and think that Dawkins is probably correct about how evolution works. He explains it in simple, easy-to-understand language and should be read for its ideas.

But I disliked the process of reading the book. The prose rambles and often feels like it was dictated and then transcribed. And I'll admit that ultimately, I found Dawkins' arrogance to be off-putting. He is truly convinced that this story is sufficient to construct a world-view. I do not begrudge him his beliefs and I do believe there should be a strong, vocal humanist/atheist movement. But I believe that this movement is weighed down by Dawkins' success. He is just as fundamentalist and dogmatic as those he criticizes.

What does make reading "The Selfish Gene" fascinating is …

Review of 'The Selfish Gene' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The Selfish Gene was originally published in 1976 and remains a brilliant, amazing explanation and perspective on evolution at a gene level. It's also the book wherein the word "meme" is invented. I'd read this decades ago of course, back in the 80s and I highly recommend that everyone should read it.

That said, I am now listening to the audio book version of the updated edition, and I really don't recommend that, which is why not 5 stars. The problem with the audio book is that footnotes just don't work. And the updated edition is absolutely full of footnotes that interrupt the main text. Dawkins decided to get around this problem in the audiobook by having a female narrator read the main text and by interrupting in his own voice with the footnotes. Sounds good in theory, but it makes it really hard to follow the chapters if you …

Review of 'The Selfish Gene' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

You don't really understand evolution until you read this book. Probably the best thing I can say about it is that it makes the thing we call "life" -- usually described as this ethereal force or spark -- far more concrete than one thought possible. Read this, then read The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner, and then this whole thing we call evolution will make sense on the micro and macro level.

Review of 'The Selfish Gene' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

You may think you understand the theory of evolution, but if you’re like most people, you probably have profound misunderstandings about the theory. Reading this book will get you back on the right track. The theory of evolution still hasn’t been absorbed by consensus reality, and this is too bad, because it has a lot to teach us about who we are, what we’re doing here, and what the nature of life and our environment must be.

avatar for moopet

rated it

5 stars
avatar for arkd

rated it

5 stars
avatar for faited

rated it

4 stars
avatar for kevbot9000

rated it

4 stars
avatar for piotr

rated it

5 stars
avatar for nithinbekal

rated it

5 stars
avatar for pauln99

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Othmer

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tommy

rated it

5 stars
avatar for illusions_perdues

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ngs

rated it

5 stars
avatar for leonivek

rated it

4 stars
avatar for wakatara

rated it

2 stars
avatar for dave

rated it

5 stars
avatar for gerwitz

rated it

4 stars
avatar for prashmohan

rated it

5 stars
avatar for agentydragon

rated it

3 stars
avatar for konstantin

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Lawrence

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Fireblend

rated it

4 stars
avatar for vincekd

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mattlehrer

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Ba5ilisk

rated it

5 stars
avatar for RobinMarx

rated it

5 stars
avatar for pollito

rated it

5 stars
avatar for MayaAngel82

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Ghalidrim

rated it

5 stars
avatar for autumnfrost

rated it

5 stars
avatar for arnoud999

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tflop

rated it

5 stars
avatar for n-gons

rated it

5 stars
avatar for darthvi

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mellifera

rated it

4 stars
avatar for eythian

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mono

rated it

4 stars
avatar for rahulgopinath

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jimfl

rated it

4 stars
avatar for lumii

rated it

5 stars
avatar for brunosan

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jobias

rated it

4 stars
avatar for lacop

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rototrav

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ixnu

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Jaldert

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Twine3515

rated it

4 stars
avatar for sorinb

rated it

5 stars
avatar for GooseThief

rated it

5 stars
avatar for piotr

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ChadGayle

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jmc142

rated it

5 stars
avatar for nclandrei

rated it

5 stars
avatar for takky6445

rated it

3 stars
avatar for BojanB

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kfrench

rated it

5 stars
avatar for grislyeye

rated it

4 stars
avatar for s_l

rated it

4 stars
avatar for dpendolino

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Eldaerenth

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tronicdude

rated it

5 stars
avatar for bestyja

rated it

4 stars
avatar for naught101

rated it

5 stars
avatar for termie

rated it

5 stars
avatar for bjarte

rated it

4 stars
avatar for fluxmind

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ward

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Iamgmm

rated it

3 stars
avatar for agindin

rated it

5 stars
avatar for advaitathreya

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mananabanana

rated it

3 stars
avatar for pd-bomber

rated it

4 stars
avatar for CMGX9

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Jameson

rated it

4 stars
avatar for oobisan

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Tinche

rated it

5 stars
avatar for RHoltslander

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Corben6

rated it

5 stars
avatar for chrisaldrich

rated it

5 stars
avatar for secretGeek

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rbfarr

rated it

5 stars
avatar for raleng

rated it

5 stars
avatar for phocks@book.dansmonorage.blue

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Michael_

rated it

4 stars
avatar for JuniperusVox

rated it

3 stars
avatar for lucasrizoli

rated it

2 stars
avatar for asmundg

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Bhawthorne

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Adem

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ray1729

rated it

5 stars
avatar for aslkdfjh

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rleyton

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ShinToad

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Cozycello

rated it

4 stars