| The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary edition |  | Author: Richard Dawkins
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Category: Book
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Rating:  98 reviews
Sales Rank: 787
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3rd Revised edition
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0199291152
Dewey Decimal Number: 576.5
EAN: 9780199291151
Publication Date: March 16, 2006
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Product Description
The 30th anniversary edition of the million copy international bestseller, with a new introduction from the author. As relevant and influential today as when it was first published, this classic exposition of evolutionary thought, widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, stimulated whole new areas of research.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 98
 the selfish gene May 10, 2010
Schuerch Rudolf
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
the problem is,I have not received that book yet!
and it seems impossible to get this over to you.I tried several times.rudolf schuerch
 A gene-centred view of evolution April 15, 2010
S. Malpas (Cardiff, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The idea of the selfish gene must rank as one of the most significant of the last century. Certainly it made a huge impact in biology, extending the explanation of evolution given by Charles Darwin before the basic mechanisms of genetics were understood. It was also this idea - and this book - that catapulted the writing career of Richard Dawkins, so for better or for worse, we have this book to thank for that!
This is a book that, in many ways, is as much about game theory as it is about the theory (and fact) of evolution. With rigorous analysis and beautifully clear writing, Dawkins explores the concepts of altruistic and selfish behaviour, kinship, sex ratio theory, reciprocal altruism, deceit, and much more. He frequently refers to fellow specialists in the field of evolutionary biology, and where he disagrees with them, does so with honesty and generosity. More than thirty years later, the book shows a few small signs of age, but also retains a certain freshness - most likely because the idea of the selfish gene has, in the intervening years, become more not less controversial.
On that last point, anyone who doubts or dismisses evolution as "just a theory" needs to read The Selfish Gene. And I mean actually read it. (Yes, the whole book - not just the title) Only then will it become abundantly clear that the author is *NOT* suggesting any of the following:
1) that at the human level, selfishness is good and altruism is bad,
2) that genes are somehow conscious entities,
3) that we must live in a manner that benefits our genes.
What he IS suggesting is that blind natural selection makes genes behave AS IF they were purposeful. The genes that get passed on are the ones "whose consequences serve their own implicit interests - to continue being replicated". The selfish gene is no more than a metaphor; a convenient way to avoid having to repeat an account of events each time in longwinded terms. Dawkins emphasizes and re-emphasizes this point constantly. I'm doing the same here as it's mind-boggling that some people (including reviewers here on Amazon) still overlook this crucial point.
The 30th anniversary edition includes the original 1976 preface and foreward (the latter by RL Trivers), a further preface to the 1989 second edition, and a new 2005 introduction by Dawkins. It also includes 65 pages of genuinely illuminating endnotes, written more than a decade later, so incorporating clarification and responses to criticism of the original material. There are also selected extracts from reviews. In short, if you are planning on reading The Selfish Gene, this is the version to get.
A ground breaking popular Science book February 14, 2010
Matthew Culley (England, UK)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book hardly needs further introduction. It ranks in the central canon of popular Science writing, certainly in the same league as 'A Brief History of Time'. It is unsual in one respect in that it actually describes original thinking. Its central thesis is that the gene is the basic unit of natural selection, almost to the extent that bodies or cells are merely vehicles to perpetuate the continued existence of the genes themselves. A weakness here is that the book does not define a gene well. A single gene for example may encode for more than one protein; a protein may be the product of several individual genes. Dawkins goes onto explain how altruism may have evolved and that, rather than being paradoxical, is fully consistent with natural selection as outlined by Darwin. In this, Dawkins does provide arguments and evidence to support this. Overall, he is reasonably successful. We learn that group selection as such does not exist, but that through cooperation, it is possible for individuals to increase their own chances of survival and reproduction. We also learn that kin selection arises primarily through the sharing of the same genes: since my brother has a relatedness of 1/2, it may be worth sacrificing myself since my brother has half of my genes. There is, in my opinion, a very good description of the Prisoner's Dilemma, developed from game theory and how this can be applied to model the development of cooperation (or non-cooperation) strategies and to assess whether these may become so-called 'evolutionary stable strategies'. Clealy, this must be seen as an over-simplification. The complexities of molecular biology and neurobiology are great. The book ends with an introduction to Dawkins's next work, 'The Extended Phenotype'.
It is worth noting that the title of the book has led people to assume that Dawkins is a pure genetic determinist. Dawkins stresses that this is not the case, and that we may easily overcome the 'rule' of our genes. Indeed this is essential for living in a sustainable and peaceble manner. In the introduction to this anniversary edition, Dawkins even mentions some regret in the title of the work, since it causes many to make assumption about his beliefs and motives.
Overall, this is a ground-breaking and well written work that makes an excellent read.
Easily one of the best books I have ever read February 14, 2010
J. K. Y. Luk (UK)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow, I got this book with some sceptism after starting to read the Origin of Species, due to the content being fairly traditional and me being a kipper undergraduate in Biology, which I confess does not bode well for the future. However I quickly realised the true genius of Richard Dawkins and the simple logic that his work conveys. The fact that this book itself is a generation old but still very applicable in the fastest changing science is a testament to the quality of his research and logic thinking. However, what I find most effective in this book is his use of similes and everyday comparisons as a method to describe genes and survival machines and I certainly feel that the content, while easily read, is of high quality and certainly at University level. I have found it useful as a reference tool or as a way of getting clearer information than my lecture notes.
Highly recommend it, it is, quite seriously a high opener, I have learned a new way of thinking. In a way, I may not read the God Delusion, in the simple fact that he is such a convincing writer, I would be quite worried he would convince there is no god. which I don't really want to have , since I feel that everybody needs something to hang on to in the unknown.
Fantastic book, should be introduced in school.
Stay classy,
JL
just about the hardback edition January 16, 2010
Shopaholique (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
this is just some info if you are thinking to get the hardback edition - it is awful !
they have made a large book into a small one at the expense of readability. Very small font, very small line spacing; and to make matters worse, nearly 100 pages of end notes are in a font smaller still! An absolute nightmare to read, the tiny condensed print will hurt your eyes and give you a headache; also the binding is so tight I practically had to wrestle the book open. I have uploaded a couple of pictures of this book next to another Dawkins hardcover (The Greatest Show on Earth) just to show how comparatively small and small-printed The Selfish Gene is. I was hoping for the same big a-joy-to-behold kind of book like all the other Dawkins hardbacks I have. What a disappointment.
as to the contents themselves... well, pure genius. Richard Dawkins should be taught in school - and not just in Britain, everywhere in the world, right after Darwin.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 98
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