Guest Author - Alegra Bartzat

The Selfish Gene was released for the first time in 1976 , and since then there have been four publications. The book is a defining moment in the history of popular science writing. The book explains the functions of genes in evolution and also animal and human behavior.

The title, as Dawkins recognizes in his book, is not a completely accurate title. It is, in fact, somewhat misleading. But it is also catching and thought-provoking. The good news is that the idea of being selfish in science doesn’t imply the same negativity that it does in the world of human thought and emotion. Dawkins argues that being selfish can actually contribute to social cooperation and mutual benefit.

Dawkins uses many generalities to discuss principles before he gives specific examples. This helps the reader to understand the concept before getting the details. It is a useful tool, and he also is careful to remind the reader when he is speaking in generalities and when he is not. This allows both scientists and non-scientists to appreciate the tool, without concern that he has relaxed into inaccurate speech.

Dawkins also speaks about genes or species “wanting” to do this or that. This is a common approach to genetics, as ethnocentricity is a great way for humans to understand things, but it is absolutely wrong because other animals probably don’t have desires like humans do, and genes most certainly do not. But Dawkins knows this acutely and his awareness covers his metaphors; he always reminds his readers that this way of thinking about evolution and genetics is inaccurate; it is simply another tool for viewing the theory through a different lens, but it is a lens none-the-less, and not the real thing.

Dawkins uses many examples form the animal kingdom to explain the effects of genetics on behavior. He explores the family Hymenoptera a great deal: the social insects. The social insects are unique because each individual shares more genes with her sisters (males are few) than she would with any potential offspring she might have (and she’s probably sterile anyway). This means that it is genetically advantageous for a bee, wasp, or ant to protect the queen instead of trying to have her own offspring.

Dawkins suggests that the community of social insects nearly replaces the role of the individual. One worker becomes unimportant compared to the success of the entire colony. The social insects communicate with phermones almost as humans communicate with hormones inside one body. Since most of the animals are sterile workers, they have no chance of reproducing their own genes, and so they can ensure the passing on of their genetic material through the reproduction of the queen.

Another group of animals that makes recurring appearances in Dawkins’ book is birds. Dawkins describes many different species of birds and their almost too strange to be true behavior. He tells us about birds that mate for life, except that scientists have shown genetically that these birds also cheat. The parallels between the human and animal world are sure to get you thinking about what it means to be human, what it means to be animal.