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 amazing book, must read Mar 05, 2010
The book is amazing. Dawkins does a great job of explaining the theory of evolution, and goes on to explain how it (or generalizations thereof) can be applied in completely different contexts, like that of memes. I think everyone should read the book to understand some very important aspects of how our world works, and avoid common misconceptions related to natural selection.
Don't judge a book by its title Mar 01, 2010
This edition contains an excerpt from a 1982 review by John Maynard Smith that sums things up nicely. Smith first observes that " The Selfish Gene reports no new facts. Nor does it contain any new mathematical models - indeed it contains no mathematics at all. What it does contain is a new world view." Indeed it does. Most of the material I had already encountered elsewhere, but Dawkins has a tremendous gift for allowing the reader to see the whole of life from a new perspective (in this case, the perspective of the replicators that fashion us).
In commenting on the hostility aroused by the book, Smith further notes that "[this] is a book about the evolutionary process - it is not about morals, or about politics, or about the human sciences". Too many people (myself included at one time) look at the title and see in it a promotion of the naturalistic fallacy ('what is ought to be'), which in turn elicits a defensive reaction from our own moralistic fallacies ('what ought to be is'). The book is not about a gene (or genes) that make us selfish, nor does it excuse selfish behaviours on evolutionary grounds. It is merely a statement of what is. If we deny what is because we don't like it, our ability to effectively remedy what we don't like is curtailed. Besides, things aren't as bad as all that anyway. I like how Dawkins added the chapter "Nice Guys Finish First" in this edition, where he nicely summarizes social game theory as it relates to evolutionary stable strategies of altruism. It really does make for a more optimistic and upbeat ending.
Good Book for the Biologically Inclined Jan 20, 2010
I'm an avid math/science pleasure reader, so I picked this book up one day when I was at my local bookstore. I'm glad I did.
Dawkins' main thesis here is that the gene is the fundamental unit of biological reproduction and that all biological phenomenon can be better understood if we look at what benefits genes as opposed to individuals. While arguing his thesis, Dawkins discusses biological relatedness and how it ultimately guides the behavior of individuals; why 'kin altruism' is so prevalent, for example. He also discusses the conflict of interest between certain genes and how that dynamic ultimately plays out from an evolutionary standpoint. He also introduces the concept of 'memes', which is interesting, if largely speculative.
The writing style is also pretty good and usually interesting, though it lags occasionally.
This is a good Dawkins book and certainly recommended to anyone who has an interest in biology/evolution. While I won't say this is the absolute best book I've ever read, it's probably one that I'll end up re-reading at some point.
4.5/5
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Why Do I Keep Reading Dawkins? Jan 08, 2010
Here I go again. Reading Richard Dawkins and gritting my teeth. Dawkins is one of the most pretentious authors I read. Dawkins is a Dawinian fundamentalist who figures somehow, someway he has been blessed with THE EXPLANATION of life. Like all fundamentalists, he ignores history, which shows, overtime, all know-it-alls are eventually proven fallible. He would be well advised to consider that maybe he isn't the great prophet he thinks he is. Look, I take the easy way out myself and figure I don't know much of anything. But I do know that history shows that people who figure they have THE answer are eventually proved wrong almost all the time. Dawkins would be more readable if he started from the premise that the cosmos is a very complex place and odds are he hasn't figured it all out himself. I just don't like to read fundamentalists at all. If you don't like reading pretentious authors, you might want to skip Dawkins. It's not what he says, it's how sure he is that he is right and any other idea is wrong. Grow up Richard! OK, my rant is over.
I have a confession to make. I wrote the above while in the middle of reading The Selfish Gene. Now that I've finished, I must amend my critique. The final third of the book was much less strident and much more interesting, in some instances profound. The last part of the book spent more time on new ideas and less time defending Dawinian fundamentalism. I just wish Dawkins would have employed a more civil tone from the start.
The best book I have ever read!! Jan 08, 2010
This book is simply amazing! It is beautifully written and well formulated. I love how Richard Dawkins argues for his theories. I have learned about evolution in school, but not this way! Here he explains why we behave like we do towards our relatives (and others), how this has been evolutionary beneficial. The parts I like the most must be the parts with game theory. Is it smart to cheat others in order to survive? If so, how much can you cheat before you get busted and is less likely to survive?
Finally I have to say that this is clearly the best book of Richard Dawkins I have read so far, and I highly recommend it!! (I haven't read "The Extended Phenotype", but I will very soon)
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