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The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary edition Paperback – 16 Mar. 2006

by Richard Dawkins (Author)

4.6 7,908 ratings

Part of: Oxford Landmark Science (19 books)

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The Selfish Gene: 40th Anniversary edition (Oxford Landmark Science)
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The million copy international bestseller, critically acclaimed and translated into over 25 languages.

This 30th anniversary edition includes a new introduction from the author as well as the original prefaces and foreword, and extracts from early reviews. As relevant and influential today as when it was first published, The Selfish Gene has become a classic exposition of evolutionary thought.

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 their replication. This imaginative, powerful, and stylistically brilliant work 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.

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Dawkins's first book, The Selfish Gene, was a smash hit... Best of all, Dawkins laid out this biology - some of it truly subtle - in stunningly lucid prose. (It is, in my view, the best work of popular science ever written.) (H. Allen Orr, New York Review of Books)

The Selfish Gene is a classic. (Robin McKie, The Observer)

A genuine cultural landmark of our time. (The Independent)

Review from previous edition The sort of popular science writing that makes the reader feel like a genius. (New York Times)

Book Description

Anniversary Edition. Voted 'Author of the Year' at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2007

From the Inside Flap

Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.
In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk.
This 30th anniversary edition of Dawkins' fascinating book retains all original material, including the two enlightening chapters added in the second edition. In a new Introduction the author presents his thoughts thirty years after the publication of his first and most famous book, while the inclusion of the two-page original Foreword by brilliant American scientist Robert Trivers shows the enthusiastic reaction of the scientific community at that time. This edition is a celebration of a remarkable exposition of evolutionary thought, a work that has been widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, and that continues to stimulate whole new areas of research today.

From the Back Cover

Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.
In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk.
This 30th anniversary edition of Dawkins' fascinating book retains all original material, including the two enlightening chapters added in the second edition. In a new Introduction the author presents his thoughts thirty years after the publication of his first and most famous book, while the inclusion of the two-page original Foreword by brilliant American scientist Robert Trivers shows the enthusiastic reaction of the scientific community at that time. This edition is a celebration of a remarkable exposition of evolutionary thought, a work that has been widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, and that continues to stimulate whole new areas of research today.

About the Author

Richard Dawkins is the first holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, Fellow of New College, Oxford, Fellow of the Royal Society, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His bestselling books include The Extended Phenotype (1982) and its sequel The Blind Watchmaker (1986), River Out of Eden (1995), Climbing Mount Improbable (1996), Unweaving the Rainbow (1998), A Devil's Chaplain (2004) and The Ancestor's Tale (2004). He has won many literary and scientific awards, including the 1987 Royal Society of Literature Award, the 1990 Michael Faraday Award of the Royal Society, the 1994 Nakayama Prize for Human Science, the 1997 International Cosmos Prize, and the Shakespeare Prize in 2005.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ OUP Oxford; 3rd edition (16 Mar. 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199291152
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199291151
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 2.54 x 12.7 x 19.69 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 583,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 375 in Animal Behaviour Science
- 492 in Genetics in Popular Science
- 1,673 in Biological Evolution

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4.6 7,908 ratings

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Richard Dawkins

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Richard Dawkins taught zoology at the University of California at Berkeley and at Oxford University and is now the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, a position he has held since 1995. Among his previous books are The Ancestor's Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, and A Devil's Chaplain. Dawkins lives in Oxford with his wife, the actress and artist Lalla Ward.

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Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They appreciate its clear explanations of evolution and sociobiology for lay readers. Readers also gain insights into different behaviors and individualism. Overall, they consider it a good value for money. However, opinions differ on whether the book is enjoyable or boring.

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Readability Knowledge level Understanding Value for money Pacing Enjoyment

209 customers mention ‘Readability’186 positive23 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the author's passion and clear explanations. The footnotes are a valuable addition, making it easy to follow the points made in the book.

"I found it extremely interesting. It's all based on biology and how the genes act in animals and humans...." Read more

"...This book was hugely enjoyable to read. It is very well written - concepts are elaborated clearly and vivid, and fascinating examples of the natural..." Read more

"...for the public understanding of science, as his written communication is crystal clear...." Read more

"On son’s wish list. Must be excellent choice.," Read more

47 customers mention ‘Knowledge level’47 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's knowledge level suitable. They describe it as an engaging scientific book that helps them understand evolution through the eyes of genes. The book is well-written and clear, with a useful explanation of how evolution works. It goes into depth to describe cells and genes and their behavior in relation to our daily lives. Readers appreciate the mathematical aspects of gene selection while still being easy to read. The book starts as a biology book but covers aspects of individualism all-around.

"I found it extremely interesting. It's all based on biology and how the genes act in animals and humans...." Read more

"...It is very well written - concepts are elaborated clearly and vivid, and fascinating examples of the natural world are frequently provided...." Read more

"...cast upon them, The Selfish Gene still stands as a wonderful pop science book on biology, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in science." Read more

"...This book basically explains the concept of evolution and takes one through how it all actually works within the ecosystem as a series of conflicts...." Read more

14 customers mention ‘Understanding’12 positive2 negative

Customers find the book provides an in-depth explanation of human selfishness and altruism. They say it covers aspects of individualism all-around. The personification helps readers connect with the author and makes complex material accessible.

"...This personification goes a long way...." Read more

"Despite the fact that this book is excellent at making complex material accessible to everyone, it is most disappointing that Dawkins to this day..." Read more

"This book is a true eye opener to the nature and reasons for selfish behaviour...." Read more

"...It challenges the divide between self-interest and altruism whilst focusing on the many examples to be seen in the greater biological world...." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Value for money’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and good value for money.

"...Great value. Fantastic read of one of todays greatest information diseminationist Richard Dawkins." Read more

"I try to purchase good books with cheapest price. Wordery always comes first in the list whether the book is used or first hand...." Read more

"...She has found it interesting and good value for money." Read more

"In perfect condition, good price and a must for any physical anthropologist & biologist." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Pacing’5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing. They say it works as expected and is in good condition. The author succeeds in setting out an original and exciting take on Darwin.

"...evidence and knowledge to back up his claims, Dawkins succeeds in setting out this original and exciting take on Darwin's theory in detailed yet..." Read more

"...Read several related books because of this one. Fab work." Read more

"No problems at all. The book is in good condition as if it is new." Read more

"Excellent, seminal work that leads you through Darwinism in all of its beauty" Read more

14 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’7 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book. Some find it enjoyable and thrilling from start to finish, while others find it boring, repetitive, and hard to maintain interest for more than one chapter. The first 40% of the book is fun, while the rest is boring.

"...up his claims, Dawkins succeeds in setting out this original and exciting take on Darwin's theory in detailed yet wholly understandable prose...." Read more

"...The book drags on a bit and game theory gets a bit boring." Read more

"...simply curious about the natural world, this book will be a thrill from start to finish." Read more

"...Its probably not the best book for me and doesn't mean anyone else won`t enjoy it. I like factual books but only need to be told something once...." Read more

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B B Moys
The Selfish Gene
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 November 2024
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I found it extremely interesting. It's all based on biology and how the genes act in animals and humans. Yet, it raises lots of questions and even if we don't agree with all the ideas, because some are theories, it is still something that everyone should read.

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H.P.J.M.
One of those rare books - will probably make you see the world differently
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2023
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I have always loved science and the natural world and I'm a big Dawkins fan - but hadn't read his first, ground-breaking book.

"The Selfish Gene" is a provocative title, but gets to the essence of the big idea. DNA is a type of "replicator", a special type of molecule that copies itself. Because DNA "wants" to make copies of itself, it "uses" survival machines - us, other animals, all living organisms - to make as many copies of itself as possible.

Thus genes - which Dawkins loosely defines as segments of DNA responsible for some behaviour - are "selfish" because they want to copy themselves as much as possible. This may involve co-operating with other genes.

While the gene is the centre of this story, Dawkins looks at individual organisms and groups of organisms to make the examples concrete. This personification goes a long way. We go on a tour of aggression, kinship - including offspring, mates, interaction with other species and see how various things can be explained under the selfish gene hypothesis.

Powerful ideas from other disciplines, like game theory are used to support the claims. For example, the prisoner's dilemma can be one way of highlighting why reciprocal altruism might exist.

Way ahead of his time, Dawkins identifies another replicator - the "meme", now part of everyday speech, as a kind of cultural idea that spreads rapidly between minds. He then posits that replication might just be one of the fundamental aspects of life anywhere in the universe, which is an interesting thing to ponder.

This book was hugely enjoyable to read. It is very well written - concepts are elaborated clearly and vivid, and fascinating examples of the natural world are frequently provided.

It made me see the world in a very different way - not necessarily worse or better. After all, Dawkins points out that he is describing the truth, not prescribing values. He is optimistic and says that human altruism can of course be pure. Our minds may be free of the shackles of our genetic programming.

To conclude, this is one of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read, and I will definitely re-visit it.

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S. Meadows
A classic text in popular biology
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 September 2012
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It's important to note that this is a book written back in the 1970s. The author who wrote it should not be mistaken for the divisive figure that he has become within the last 10 years. The edition I picked up was the 30th anniversary edition, which comes with 3 prefaces and a foreword.

Reading the first few chapters, the most striking thing is Dawkins' engaging narrative style. It can be little surprise that subsequent to writing this he was made a professor for the public understanding of science, as his written communication is crystal clear. In addition to the main text, there are some lengthy endnotes which appear to be mostly the product of later editions where there is an extremely defensive tone, in some exasperation of opposition born out of misunderstanding of the ideas and terminology used in the first edition.

Although the title of the book implies a book on genetics, this is largely confined to the early couple of chapters with the majority of the book looking at animal behaviour from a gene's point of view. It is easy to see why some might take him for an atomist from these discussions, as he gives little countenance to causes other than genetic inheritance. This may simply be a consequence of his emphasis rather than reflecting his actual views, though such atomism is common, in my experience, amongst those who cite Dawkins as a major source of their scientific knowledge and understanding.

However, one has to recall warnings given early in the book about Dawkins' use of terminology. Much of the book is written in simile and metaphor, with many adjectives loaded with the capacity to be misread if one reads the text as a literalist.

One of the key themes is altruism. That is, how do organisms end up helping one another out if their genes inheritance follows a rough pattern that might be described as "selfish." Aren't selfishness and altruism polar opposites? Dawkins argues that this is not so. In so doing, the prime target in Dawkins' crosshairs are proponents of "group selection" who (very broadly speaking) favour the idea that animals and plants behave in such a way as to ensure the survival of their particular group. Dawkins argues convincingly that this is an illusion and gives examples where such a theory is left somewhat lacking where the selfish gene theory can provide a reasonable hypothesis.

With all this said, though, it has to be noted that Dawkins includes very little hard evidence in his book. To keep things interesting and engaging for the lay reader, we are presented with multiple anecdotes rather than scientific studies. So, reading with due scepticism, one should be wary of accepting all of Dawkins' ideas unquestionably. Indeed, shortly after finishing the book, I was given a link to a paper (though unfortunately, it is hidden behind a paywall) which calls into question Dawkins' "kin selection."

This brings us to the weak points of the book. It begins in chapter 10, `You scratch my back, I'll ride on yours' where Dawkins make a quite startling comment for a scientist: "One cannot really speak of `evidence' for this idea, but...." (it's on page 182 of the 30th anniversary edition, if you want the full quote, it's rather too long to copy) - yet in the next chapter, where Dawkins introduces the idea of a meme, he makes his statement that faith is "blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence."

Of course, his definition has now become almost as famous as it is erroneous. Yet that fame could mistakenly lead one to think that this was an early example of Dawkins' departure from science into the world of atheistic diatribe; it absolutely is not. It is merely an example that he used to illustrate his innovative idea on the transmission of information. Of course, subsequent decades of works on memetics have proved fruitless, and it is now abandoned as a serious line of enquiry by all but a vocal minority. If this surprises you, I would point you to the last ever edition of the journal of memetics where the situation was summed up quite nicely.

Following on from this, Dawkins looks at game theory which may seem out of place in a biology book, but which serves as a useful introduction to anyone who has not encountered it before. The book concludes with an additional chapter not included in the original edition. It is a concise summary of the follow-up book, The Extended Phenotype. It's not an extract for a sequel, which I have seen in some publications, but it serves the same purpose, as an advert for the reader to make a further purchase. In this respect, it is quite successful, as it is as immensely fascinating as the rest of The Selfish Gene.

Though some of its ideas have now had severe doubt cast upon them, The Selfish Gene still stands as a wonderful pop science book on biology, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in science.

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slightly not happy shopper
Xmas present.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 December 2024
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On son’s wish list. Must be excellent choice.,

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Joe
Excellent.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2024
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I can only imagine what it must've been like to read this book three decades ago.
It blows my mind to read it now. a must-read.

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Marcio L. Silva Gama
must read for biologists
Reviewed in Brazil on 23 October 2024
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Dawkins proposed this spectacular thesis in late 1970’s and it resulted in new horizons to evaluate the role of the gene at evolution. Now, structures compete for better design related to genes, chromosomes, gene pools based on answers to what he called a “nature arms race”, where several competing populations evolve, adapt and create new features to increase the probability of survival. That’s a beautifully designed theory and deserves attention since the date it was released.

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Luis Zenteno
El mejor libro
Reviewed in Mexico on 2 October 2024
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Gran empaque, muy bien cuidado y un gran libro. Siempre recomendando

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PembrokeSorbonne
Amazing clarity on the gene's role and process in evolution
Reviewed in the United States on 1 July 2023
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This is Dawkins' famed seminal work on his view of evolution written in the 70s. It has been recognised as a classic of modern scientific writing. It is also where he presented his view of natural selection via individual gene. In the first chapter, he already clearly stated his unique view in contrast to selection based on group or the larger category of species which is a more conventional view at the time. Chapter two on replicators and chapter three on the immortal gene are the key chapters by which Dawkins explains the nature of a gene as a replicator exhibiting selfish behaviour in evolution. The primeval soup environment had molecules that are replicatators, molecules that are with longevity and/or capacity to replicate themselves with high longevity/fecundity/copying-fidelity. The gene made of replicating DNA molecules are the basic unit of evolution responding to natural selection pressure. A gene's replicating feature makes it possibly "immortal", for it can survive for a million years though many don't make it past the first generation. Dawkins characterises the gene as a survival machine with the capacity to learn from the environment in order to respond to and make predictions to its various changing parameters of the environment. Its learning capacity helps it to replicate and hence survive in the environment. Learning, adapt and replicate are ways a gene respond to selection pressure.

The rest of the books reveals how the gene exhibits certain behaviours in the evolutionary process. In the area of aggression, Dawkins offers the surprising analysis that aggression is not necessarily the best way to survive in the evolutionary process. He invokes Maynard Smith notion of "evolutionary stable strategy" (ESS) throughout the book. It is a survival strategy adopted by most members of a population that cannot be bettered by an alternative strategy. The genes select a unique mixture of hawks and doves that is the best ESS for the population to survive, and not necessarily hawkish blind aggression survives better.

On the process between generations, the genes enable the parents to choose a balance between reproduction and rearing in a way that best utilizes parental resources. Best replicating strategy ESS is not a blind maximal reproduction. Another interesting observation by Dawkins is parent/child relationship being as crucial as siblings relationship in terms of gene replication. Children would not blindly hoard food that risks the balance of his own survival and siblings survival. The gene enables the right balance.

On the battle of the sexes, each sex selects the best way to replicate its own genes as reflected in even the mate selection criteria. Dawkins highlighted two selection criteria, the domestic bliss criterion according to which the female selects a male based on domesticity and fidelity to invest in her offsprings, and the he-man criterion which is based on males with best quality genes to sire their offspring. For males, promiscuity with multiple partners seems to be the best way of replicating.

With regard to the dynamics between species, it is seen in nature that different species help each other for mutual reproductive benefits forming symbiotic relationships. An example is that aphids suck nutrients out of plants for ants while ants offer sanctuary to protect them from natural enemy. Dawkins mentioned also mitochondria which provides energy for human gene is bacteria in origin which cooperates with our cells making human beings a symbiotic colony of genes.

Throughout this whole work, the selfishness of a gene is actually metaphorically used because selfishness only depicts the natural behaviour of gene replication by responding to selection pressure. Any apparent calculation of strategy actually takes place at a genetic level, not consciously decided at an agent level of the organism. Despite this notion, Dawkins suggests humans are different than other species in that it uses "memes" to transmit culture. Memes are means of cultural transmission. Examples are ideas, tunes, fashions, and artefacts. They replicate like genes jumping from body to body by humans imitating them from human to human for transmission. Dawkins also suggests that genes and memes can work against each other. Another thing that makes humans different from other organisms is the capacity for conscious foresight to work against selfish genes that have no foresight. It is conceivable that humans can work against their own genes interest. But that would imply humans possessing a free agent capacity over and above his own genetic makeup. I don't know if Dawkins would allow such a paradox but it is conceivable not all of human features are made for genetic replication.

This work provides an impressive wealth of insights of how the gene function as a unit of survival machine in evolution. Just like any good books in biology, anecdotal examples from nature are indispensable and Dawkins does not disappoint. Some of my favourite examples are cuckoos that lay eggs in other species nests to spread their species and lessen its own parental investment, and the ruthlessness of hatched honey guides that would smash the eggs of their foster family eggs making it the only offspring of their parents. Baby swallows push other eggs out of the nest after hatching.

In the 40th anniversary edition, the last chapter is just a summary of his next work The Extended Phenotype which he suggest the reader to skip and go on to that book and a 40th anniversary epilogue which is a good and updated summary of his book

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Patrick Kandler
Meisterwerk
Reviewed in Germany on 15 December 2024
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Gibt es leider nur in Englisch, aber das war kein Problem.

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Shinchu
A book for curious and broad minded people ❤👌
Reviewed in India on 4 January 2024
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Let's be honest...

I'm from computer science background and I loved this book. I was always interested in knowing about our natural evolution and formation of genes.

I used to watch Richard Dawkins videos on Youtube during lockdown. He is an amazing teacher and anyone can understand such topics whatever background you are from.

Those who are seeking for scientific knowledge about ourselves, I would highly recommend this book.

This book covers it all in a very interesting way and it's also easy to read for a person who has no background in biology, evolution or any zoology related subjects.

So go for it.😎

Thanks!

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