10 - Selfish Gene

Summary

Genes are competing directly with their alleles for survival, since the alleles in the gene pool are rivals for their slot on the chromosomes of future generations. Any gene that behaves in such a way as to increase its own survival chances in the gene pool at the expense of its alleles will, by definition, tautologously, tend to survive. The gene is the basic unit of selfishness.

Richard Dawkins, 2009

Richard Dawkins's stated mission is to reject that any organism could have evolved to be altruistic, or that group selection is a viable evolutionary mechanism. In The Selfish Gene, originally published in 1976, the British ethologist and evolutionary biologist argues that the process of biological evolution ensures that all organisms, on an individual basis, are inherently selfish. Dawkins fully realizes that his research could have far-reaching implications for our understanding of life. Moreover, he does not shy away from articulating the full ramifications of his vision for human beings, culture, and society. He is open about the repercussions of his argument:

Like successful Chicago gangsters, our genes have survived, in some cases for millions of years, in a highly competitive world. This entitles us to expect certain qualities in our genes. I shall argue that a predominant quality to be expected in a successful gene is ruthless selfishness. This gene selfishness will usually give rise to selfishness in individual behavior.

Although quick to disclaim that he is not “advocating selfishness as a principle by which we should live,” Dawkins still conveys a consistent message that no biological agent is naturally selfless. He boldly states that “much as we might wish to believe otherwise, universal love and the welfare of the species as a whole are concepts that simply do not make evolutionary sense.” Aware he was putting forth a vision of the nature of life itself, perhaps equivalent to that of epic proportions, he recalls, working alongside the British theoretical evolutionary biologist John Maynard Smith and the American sociobiologist Robert Trivers, that 1975 “was one of those mysterious periods in which new ideas are hovering in the air.” Although not directly acknowledged, the new ideas were those of game theory.