The Extended Selfish Gene

By (author) Richard Dawkins; By (author) Richard Dawkins; By (author) Dawkins, Richard
Short description/annotation
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. This extended edition includes a new epilogue from the author and two key chapters from The Extended Phenotype.
Description
The Selfish Gene is a classic exposition of evolutionary thought. In it Professor Dawkins articulates a gene''s eye view of evolution - a view giving centre stage to these persistent units of information, and in which organisms can be seen as vehicles for the replication of genes. The book provoked widespread and heated debate, which in part led Dawkins to write The Extended Phenotype, in which he gave a deeper clarification of the central concept of the gene as the unit of selection, as well as contributing his own development of this insight. For the first time, The Extended Selfish Gene brings these two books together, by including two key chapters from The Extended Phenotype. These chapters provide Dawkins''s detailed and powerful response to two issues raised by critics of The Selfish Gene: the accusations of genetic determinism (the idea that our behaviour is entirely determined by our genes), and of "adaptationism " (that all traits are indiscriminately perceived to be adaptations resulting from natural selection). While written in particular for the biology community, Dawkins''s clarity of expression allows these chapters to be accessible to all who are seriously engaged with the gene''s eye view and its implications. The imaginative, powerful, and stylistically brilliant Selfish Gene not only brought the insights of Neo-Darwinism to a wide audience, but galvanized the biology community, generating much debate and stimulating whole new areas of research. Forty years later, its insights remain as significant as on the day it was published. Along with the two extra chapters, The Extended Selfish Gene includes a new epilogue to The Selfish Gene from the author which highlights the relevance of the gene''s eye view to evolutionary biology today.
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION TO 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION; PREFACE TO 1989 2ND EDITION; FOREWORD TO 1976 1ST EDITION; PREFACE TO 1976 1ST EDITION; EPILOGUE TO 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION; ENDNOTES; REVIEWS FROM EARLIER EDITIONS; UPDATED BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX AND KEY TO BIBLIOGRAPHY; EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS; THE EXTENDED PHENOTYPE OPENER; REFERENCES
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From the moment of its publication 40 years ago, it has been a sparkling best-seller and a scientific game-changer.
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Review from previous edition The sort of popular science writing that makes the reader feel like a genius.
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This book should be read, can be read, by almost everyone. It describes with great skill a new face of the theory of evolution. W.D. Hamilton, Science
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Learned, witty and very well written...Exhilaratingly good. Peter Medawar in The Spectator
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The exciting theories and their wide implications are explaned with clarity, wit and enthusiasm. Peter Parker, Sunday Times
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Dawkins demonstrates that complex, theoretical or mathematical ideas can be expressed rigorously, in plain English. The book remains an excellent way for those who have not been trained in evolution to understand modern arguments. Trends in Ecology and Evolution
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A splendid example of how difficult scientific ideas can be explained by someone who understands them and is willing to take the trouble. The New Yorker
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the reader will come away with a clear understanding of kin selection, evolutionary stable stra