Review of ‘A Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins
I wonder if my aversion to biology is the reason why I didn’t read this book earlier. I had never thought that this book would help explain so much of what we see around us through the concept of , as Dawkins likes to put it, ‘selfish gene’.
One of the most important points he makes is that evolution has been driven through genes with the sole motive to maximise their chances of survival. Reading through the book, as he elaborates on the idea, one gets introduced to the idea of game theory in concrete terms. One can make a better sense of how Dawkins explains the evolution of trust through a wonderful simulation by Nicky Case.
One of the ideas that grabbed my attention was the concept of ‘meme’ as a unit of replication. The ‘meme’ that we know today are small snippets of audio or photos which we can laugh over (and relate to) on social media. Meme in fact is a vital important of cultural replication. The fact that memes resonate and can become viral is because they allow us to connect with other across oceans on the basis of a single shared idea. Art, dramas, storytelling or memes are just ways of cultural replication where we are able to share ideas — thanks to the mental faculties wh
With technology surrounding us, it is natural to think that the evolution how our mental faculties will be shaped by evolution? The below article is an interesting take on how the model of humans as ‘rational actors’ might not be the best model.
‘A selfish gene’ makes for a wonderful books makes for an understanding of so many facets of how humans and societies work today. Dating, parental tendencies, trust- everything can be explained by theories of evolution. And where it might go in the future with all the new models of understanding.
