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The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary edition (Hardcover)

by Richard Dawkins (Author) "Intelligent life on a planet comes of age when it first works out the reason for its own existence ..." (more)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (150 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (April 15 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199291144
ISBN-13: 978-0199291144
Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.7 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 431 g

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (150 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #41,353 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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#30 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Genetics
#34 in	Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Genetics
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Product Description

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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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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'Thirty years on from its first publication, this classic work in the development of evolutionary thought remains as influential as ever.' Prospect

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Intelligent life on a planet comes of age when it first works out the reason for its own existence. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

150 Reviews

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

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4.5 out of 5 stars (150 customer reviews)

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Classic Book on Evolution, Dec 16 2006

By	Steve S. (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary edition (Paperback)

Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary theorist and holds the Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He is also a best seller author of science books, and quite easy to read. His most recent book is The God Delusion, but previously he wrote mainly about evolution. For example, his prior book is The Ancestors' Tale, a brief history of life on earth.

The Selfish Gene is explains the basics of evolution in simple and readable language. There is a good reason why this book has a 30th Anniversary edition: it is truly a classic, and will be read for many, many years to come.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sneaky genes caught in the act, Sep 5 2002

By	Jeremy M. Harris (Worthington, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Selfish Gene (Paperback)

Personification, or (more awkwardly) anthropomorphization, is a slightly silly convention practiced daily by all of us. It consists of attributing sentient human characteristics to non-human entities, as in "the computer thinks you want to shut it down," or "my car is out to get me." Such expressions are usually harmless because everyone knows the metaphors aren't meant literally. There are certain contexts, though, where personification becomes troublesome. Two of them are biology and evolution. I once criticized Michael Behe for writing that viruses mutate "in order to evade the immune system." Viruses cannot strategize or harbor motives, and to imply that they do carelessly misstates the fundamentals of evolution, a theory Behe was attempting to refute! Tacky.

The title itself should put any "Selfish Gene" reader on notice that a megadose of personification is coming, but even thus forewarned I was taken aback by the extent of it. The author seems to be in the peculiar position of understanding perfectly well the drawbacks of anthropomorphization, but pressing on with it anyway. An unfortunate result is that Dawkins incessantly uses the language of conscious motives while issuing caveats about it. In both main text and chapter notes (1989 edition), he alternates between backpedaling from personification (e.g. top, page 89) and irritably dismissing any reader or critic obtuse enough to suppose he means what he says (e.g. page 278). Perhaps I am unreasonably sensitive, but personification issues in "Selfish Gene" significantly reduced my ability to enjoy it.

So if that's how I felt about the book, why did I finish it? Because it was more than worthwhile to do so. Like Dawkins' other works, this one is a cornucopia of useful information, novel interpretations and clever insights. It introduces such diverse topics as the ironic and unwisely-ignored concept of speciesism, the meme as a reproducing unit of imitative behavior, the significance of evolutionarily stable strategies (ESSs), and the game-theoretical aspects of ad hoc live-and-let-live behavior among WW1 combatants. One would have to be anesthetized not to learn and profit from reading "Selfish Gene."

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i still think about this book, May 19 2004

By	J. F Treml "no_jack_no" (philly) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Selfish Gene (Paperback)

this book has stayed with me for about ten years since i first read it. i recommend it to anyone who want to think about the mechanism of evolution and the basis of all life. this book will teach you that genetics is really very simple. it's all just the action of selection on organisms capable of passing on genetic material in an environment of limited resources.

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Most recent customer reviews

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