The Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins · 1976
Science
A Gene's-Eye View of Evolution
Richard Dawkins revolutionized our understanding of evolution by shifting the perspective from the organism to the gene. Organisms, he argued, are mere 'survival machines' — robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This gene-centered view of evolution illuminated puzzles from altruism to aggression with startling clarity.
Context & Background
The Selfish Gene transformed evolutionary biology and popular science writing simultaneously. Dawkins took the gene-centered view developed by W. D. Hamilton and George C. Williams and presented it with such literary flair that it became one of the most influential science books of the twentieth century.
The central idea is that natural selection operates at the level of the gene, not the individual or the species. Dawkins introduced the concept of the extended phenotype — the idea that genes influence the world beyond the body they inhabit. Most famously, he coined the term meme to describe a unit of cultural transmission, arguing that ideas replicate and evolve much like genes.
The book has sold over a million copies and been translated into more than 25 languages. The concept of the meme became one of the defining ideas of the internet age. The gene-centered view of evolution is now mainstream biology, and Dawkins's clear, combative prose style set the standard for popular science writing.
