"The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins

A book about what makes us who we are.

This book succeeds in doing what most science classrooms in India flounder at in their pursuit of making you mug up benign facts- it makes you think. More importantly, Richard Dawkins illustrates how one ought to approach an idea or problem and then dissect it to reveal the rich tapestry of nuance that dwells within. Believe it or not, this is often the approach of most books on science, a feature that a twelfth grader in India touting their thick volume of Xamidea Physics may disagree with.

That is not to say I agree with everything that Dawkins espouses in this book. What I am keen on highlighting though is that I don’t disagree with the science or the scientific approach- a feature best highlighted in the vaccine-skeptics (a kinder moniker for anti-vaxxers) of the past two years. Instead, I disagree with some of the gross generalizations and sweeping judgments that Dawkins passes. More on that later.

Contraception as Hopeful

Many have described this book to be devoid of hope and shatter their belief in a meaningful world. Dawkins himself addresses such views in his foreword to a later edition. I find such a view to be saddening.

While it is understandable that reducing individuals to mere “survival machines” or “vehicles” controlled by our genes fondly called “replicators” is reductionist, it is not entirely devoid of hope. Dawkins addresses such a belief when he postulates that the very fact that human beings have come up with contraception is an effective overriding of the single purpose of the selfish gene- which is to continue its existence.

He has also confessed that the book ought to have been titled The Immortal Gene to best capture the true Darwinian intent of seeking evolutionary-stable strategies. Then again, anyone who is judging a piece of science solely on the name of a title has bigger things to worry about.

Opposed to the Humanities?

One of the themes I noticed in this book, and more so in a similar title that I am currently reading on evolutionary psychology and another collection of Dawkins’ works, is the disdain towards the “social realists” and theories such as feminism.

The opposition to such realities stems largely from some of the more unscientific natures of rhetoric that occupy the central space there. Having said that, as an educator in the latter field, I have always sought to introduce science into a humanities classroom. While this is at times frowned upon by veteran occupants of both fields, it is certainly the need of the hour.

Simply put, the humanities cannot continue on a spiral of illogical nonsense in their closed spaces while the sciences ought to cease functioning in a solely cold and mechanistic silo. Both the fields ought to converse with each other and the ensuing dialogue should be focused on solving human issues and fostering curiosity.

This newsletter, in general, and some of my practices as an educator, in particular, aim to further that goal. Do read this book (or listen to it over a period of a year as I did) and let its difficulties capture your imagination. While your genes may certainly be selfish and follow their own paths, you needn’t be so and can instead follow this newsletter.

Do like and share this post, for thinking and communicating are at the fore of evolutionary stable strategies.