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If this topic interests you, I recommend reading "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins.
by IndianAstronaut 12y ago
If this topic interests you, I recommend reading "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins.
- nkozyra 12y agoIt didn't until I read this, now I'm absurdly interested and The Selfish Gene has been ordered. Any more modern books of note?
- danieltillett 12y agoYes read the extended phenotype next.
- chc 12y agoWell, the author of this article mentions he has a book on the same topic called "A Planet of Viruses." So that might be worth checking out. (I haven't read it myself.)
- hrjet 12y agoGenome by Matt Ridley.
- rebootthesystem 12y agoRead the book twice. Excellent. Dawkins can be a little long-winded and repetitive at time. For me the book got better after the first third or so. Highly recommended.
- curiously 12y agowhat is the book about in a nutshell? will read it eventually.
- mkramlich 12y agonote for the future: Amazon is a tab away and will give you summaries and more of millions of books. mostly a solved problem. would not be surprised if Wikipedia had a summary of it too.
- curiously 12y agoif I wanted a summary from a non HN user I would've gone there. I think people often miss the importance of someone summarizing it in their own words on a network.
- Sharlin 12y agoThe unit of selection is the gene; not the individual, much less a group of individuals. The reproduction of an allele is not necessarily aligned with the well-being and reproduction of an individual carrying the allele.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- curiouser 12y ago"The Selfish Gene" is explicitly directed at the layman, and absolutely no knowledge of biology is assumed. While this presents a danger of boring readers (such as myself) who are already familiar with DNA and meiosis, the colorful metaphors Dawkins uses throughout the book do much to keep the reading engrossing and entertaining. After a lengthy exploration of basic biology, covering topics such as DNA and the origin of life, Dawkins introduces the gene-centered view of evolution that has long been textbook orthodoxy. Dawkins uses the remainder of the book to look at various types of animal behavior in an effort to convey some general conclusions and tools to help the reader understand evolution and natural selection. Much of his effort is devoted to explaining behavior in terms of the 'selfish gene' - especially social behavior that has long been held to have evolved 'for the good of the species.' Dawkins shows that how fundamental axiom of natural selection (that the genes best at surviving and reproducing will eventually spread through the gene pool) leads directly to the selfish gene and the behavior exhibited by nearly all animals (humans being the prime exception). I should warn that conservatives would probably not enjoy the book nearly as much as I did. Dawkins is an open secular humanist with socialist leanings, and is not worried about offending the delicate sensibilities of creationists and fundamentalists. This book should only be read by those willing to 'accept' the validity of natural selection and evolution; others would only waste their time. I would direct readers seeking a more scientific discussion of these issues to G. C. Williams's "Adaptation and Natural Selection." All others will most likely enjoy "The Selfish Gene" a great deal and finish the book with a new appreciation for and understanding of evolution and biology.
- dkarapetyan 12y agoI also recommend "Evolutionary Psychology: A Critical Introduction" which echoes many of the themes in "The Selfish Gene" from a different perspective.
- vanderZwan 12y agoI would add "The Music of Life" by Denis Noble to that.