THE SELFISH GENE

360 pages

English language

Published May 10, 2009

ISBN:
9780199291151
Goodreads:
61535

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3 stars (2 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 …

12 editions

El gen egoísta no funciona

1 star

Dawkins realiza una metáfora sobre la selección natural, remarcando en este caso al egoísmo como motor de la misma. En un capítulo introductorio así lo recalca y, sin embargo, el resto del libro se olvida de la metáfora y parece que la naturaleza realmente funcionara como si tuviera agencia ¿Metáfora intencionada?.

Para él los organismos son vehículos de genes; "Robots lelos manejados por nuestros genes" en sus propias palabras. Los genes que porta el individuo "buscarán" la forma más eficiente de perdurar en el tiempo, y por extensión, los individuos intentan perpetuarse mediante la reproducción.

Esta metáfora ha sido objeto de múltiples críticas, tanto éticas, como científicas: ¿Debemos ser egoístas?, ¿El racionalismo económico determina la formulación de determinadas hipótesis científicas?, ¿Existe el altruismo?, ¿El egoísmo encaja en el actual paradigma moral y por ello debemos decir que el cooperativismo entre familias de insectos como la simbiosis existente entre las hormigas …

Review of 'THE SELFISH GENE' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

After years of reading references to this book, I finally got around to reading the book itself. It's now clear to me just why there are so many references out there to it. There are some very interesting ideas, presented in a very coherent fashion.

The thesis is that evolution happens on the scale of "replicators" (genes, usually), not on the scale of individuals or groups. This explains the evolution of altruistic behaviors: a gene can sacrifice the good of the individual carrying it if there's enough benefit to others who are likely to be carrying it as well.

There's a chapter at the end about how genes may no longer be the state of the art in replicators, and that ideas (Dawkins coined the word "meme") may be the next big thing.