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Books : The Selfish Gene

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Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780198575191
ISBN: 019857519X
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: December 16, 1976
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Sales Rank: 1647834
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA



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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
This is a new edition of possibly the most exciting and innovative book on evolution in years. An international bestseller, Dawkins's superb reworking of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much interest outside the scientific community as within it. Fascinating, convincing, and beautiful in the simplicity with which complex ideas are expressed, The Selfish Gene is a classic.
The revised, expanded edition contains two important new chapters. "Nice Guys Finish First" shows how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world, and "The Long Reach of the Gene" advances the startling view that genes may reach outside the bodies in which they sit to manipulate other individuals--and even the world at large. The book concludes with completely new endnotes in which Dawkins replies to previous critics, or elaborates on points in the original text.
Written in characteristically lively and accessible style, this new edition confirms Dawkins's reputation as one of the most brilliant biologists of his generation.

Amazon.com Review:
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



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - The Right Perspective for Biology and Evolution
This book puts the body of knowledge in evolutionary biology in the right perspective. Because we are macro beings, because we in this society live and deal at organism level, so we tend to believe that everything revolves around this level. What this book does is to encourage you to think form the perspective of molecular level, the gene's level. After all, they came first in the tree of evolutiona nd they also come first in building the organisms...
PLIUS it's a good read.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - I think Dawkins is wrong in his central argument. Here's why:
The first thing I want to say is how much respect I have for Richard Dawkins as a scientist, as a teacher, as a writer of fascinating prose, and as a person. He is a brilliant and courageous man who works hard to bring his knowledge and insights to all of us. For the record I have read six of his books and reviewed four of them. They are:

The God Delusion (2006)
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution (2004)
A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - One of the best books I've read
Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene is one of the best books I've read. Its subject matter--evolution of life on earth--is important. Its writing is flawless and its points well-argued. Its conclusions are significant, controversial, and seemingly inescapable.

The Selfish Gene is not for the faint of heart. Just look at the review here titled "Fascinating, but at times I wish I could unread it"--the author thinks that Dawkins's book "presents an appallingly pessimistic view of human nature, ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - A classic of evolutionary explication, with speculations
Richard Dawkins has become famous in the public mind as one of the strongest exponents of contemporary evolutionary theory, as well as an opponent of religion and creationism. THE SELFISH GENE is the book that launched his career as a celebrity scientist.

Ostensibly it is devoted to addressing, and ultimately debunking, the idea of "group selection," or the nearly equivalent "altruism". What does natural selection actually select? The gene. Or more generally, a replicator, of which a gene is ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Neo-Darwinian Genetic Evolution of Altruism and Social Behaviour that shook Group Selectionists
The first thing I will say about The Selfish Gene (TSG) is that it is not the first book on evolution you should read although as a Dawkins book it is not a bad choice but for those unfamiliar with both, then I would suggest Climbing Mount Improbable or The Blind Watchmaker first. Both of those books by Dawkins have a much broader, more generalized, look at natural selection and evolution.

TSG is an entirely different type of book because it is particularly academic and a very complex read on specific ... Read More


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