Selfish Gene New Edition

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 revised edition of Dawkins' fascinating book contains two new chapters. One, entitled "Nice Guys Finish First," demonstrates how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world. The other new chapter, entitled "The Long Reach of the Gene," which reflects the arguments presented in Dawkins' The Extended Phenotype, clarifies the startling view that genes may reach outside the bodies in which they dwell and manipulate other individuals and even the world at large. Containing a wealth of remarkable new insights into the biological world, the second edition once again drives home the fact that truth is stranger than fiction.

"[D]emonstrates a rare and welcome ability to make formidably technical findings come alive...highly articulate." The New York Times Book Review

"[T]he sort of popular science writing that makes the reader feel like a genius." The New York Times

"This important book could hardly be more exciting." The Economist

"Learned, witty, and very well written...exhilaratingly good." Spectator

"What makes it exciting is the brilliance and wit of Mr. Dawkins' style. It is a splendid example of how difficult ideas can be explained by someone who understands them and is willing to take the trouble." New Yorker

"This book should be read, can by read, by almost everyone. It describes with great skill a new face of the theory of evolution." Science

"Dawkins is telling firmly one of the most important stories of modern science." Psychology Today

"The presentations are remarkable for their clarity and simplicity, intelligible to any schoolchild, yet so little condescending as to be a pleasure to the professional." American Scientist

This is a new edition of possibly the most exciting and innovative book on evolution in years. An international bestseller, Dawkins's superb reworking of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much interest outside the scientific community as within it. Fascinating, convincing, and beautiful in the simplicity with which complex ideas are expressed, The Selfish Gene is a classic.

The revised, expanded edition contains two important new chapters. "Nice Guys Finish First" shows how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world, and "The Long Reach of the Gene" advances the startling view that genes may reach outside the bodies in which they sit to manipulate other individuals--and even the world at large. The book concludes with completely new endnotes in which Dawkins replies to previous critics, or elaborates on points in the original text.

Written in characteristically lively and accessible style, this new edition confirms Dawkins's reputation as one of the most brilliant biologists of his generation.

This nontechnical description of modern genetics is based on the insight that replicating structures have a built-in drive for self-preservation. A fascinating and provocative popular account.

About the Author:

Richard Dawkins is Lecturer in Zoology and Fellow of New College, Oxford. His books include The Extended Phenotype and The Blind Watchmaker.

Preface to 1976 edn