Introduction to "The Selfish Gene": The existence of genes was first inferred by Mendel in the 19th century, and was not the result of observation. Shortly after Darwin published his theory of evolution, he attempted to explain the theory by conducting experiments on peas. But it was not until the end of the 19th century that his research was taken seriously. Modern geneticists believe that genes are the general term for specific nucleotide sequences with genetic effects on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecules, and are DNA molecule fragments with genetic effects. Genes are located on chromosomes and are arranged linearly on chromosomes. Genes can not only pass genetic information to the next generation through replication, but also enable genetic information to be expressed. Differences in hair, skin color, eyes, noses, etc. between different races are caused by genetic differences.
Although Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is a key element in the study of social behavior, it has been ignored by many people. Even within the field of biology, Darwin's theory has been astonishingly ignored and abused. In The Selfish Gene, Dawkins introduced this important part of the social theory of natural selection to the world in a concise and popular form, which can be said to be the first of its kind. Dawkins has no objective basis for believing that one species is superior to another. Chimpanzees and humans, lizards and fungi all evolved through a process of so-called natural selection that lasted about 3 billion years. Within each species, some individuals leave more surviving offspring than others, so the genes of those lucky enough to reproduce become more abundant in their next generation. The non-random differential reproduction of genes is natural selection. Natural selection made us who we are, so to understand who we are, we must understand natural selection.
In this book, Dawkins introduces the main topics in social theory one by one: such as the concepts of altruistic and self-interested behavior, the definition of selfishness in genetics, kinship theory (including parent-child relationship and group living). The evolution of insects), the theory of sex ratios, reciprocal altruism, deceptive behavior and natural selection of sexual differences, etc. Based on the progress of biological research and his own understanding, Dawkins determined the unit or level of biological evolution in genes, and through the use of ethical language, he explained that the basic characteristic of genes is "selfishness". Dawkins believes that genes will do whatever it takes to achieve their goal of survival. For example, if an animal takes care of its offspring, this may be an altruistic behavior from the perspective of an individual organism. But it is precisely because genes control this behavior that it can complete its own replication and survive through the altruistic behavior of animals taking care of their offspring. All examples of apparently altruistic behavior from an individual biological perspective are the result of genetic selfishness. The only thing a gene is interested in is copying itself repeatedly and striving for maximum survival and expansion in the process of evolution. Since genes hold the "genetic code" of organisms, the key to the reproduction and evolution of all life ultimately comes down to the "selfishness" of genes.
How do genes face the competition for survival? The author cites a large number of animal behaviors in the book and vividly describes how genes continue to establish more complete survival strategies through games. The premise of the game is that all competitors only consider their own interests. The so-called selfishness is nothing more than striving for one's own survival. There are many strategies for one's own survival, and it is not just about eating the opponent. Dawkins expertly introduces a variety of survival strategies. For example, "If you are smaller than your opponent, run away; if you are bigger than your opponent, attack." Bullying is a survival strategy that we humans are very familiar with. Anyone who dares to break this will definitely suffer a bloody blow.
Dawkins believes: "We are all survival machines - robot carriers covertly programmed for a selfish molecule called a gene." Compared with selfish genes, he created A corresponding word was created - meme, which is used to convey the concept of "cultural communication unit". Similar to genes, MiMi can also be copied, mutated, inherited, etc. For example, musical melodies, political slogans, Newton's laws, design drawings, scientific works, novels, poems, etc. are all composed of various kinds of mystery rice, and they can be continuously copied and spread from generation to generation through mystery rice. The human body is mortal, but the "mimi" created by humans can be relatively immortal. The ideological mysteries of Plato and Laozi were not lost due to the death of Plato and Laozi. They are preserved in the form of books and reside in the brains of thinkers and the public for generations in the form of concepts. In the book "The Selfish Gene", the author uses the first 10 chapters to talk about the first type of replicator, the gene replicator, and Chapter 11 discusses the second type of replicator, the MiMi replicator. The author declares that the role of the latter cannot yet be determined, saying: "If the reader closes this book with the understanding that DNA is not the only entity that forms the basis of Darwin's theory of evolution, then Chapter 11 is a success. I The purpose is only to reduce the weight of genes, rather than to characterize the most important theory of human culture."
Due to Dawkins' profound knowledge in biology, he can make readers appreciate the biological literature. colorful and fascinating. As a representative work of neo-Darwinism, "The Selfish Gene" once published, with its rare graceful, fresh, humorous and implicit style, aroused great repercussions and warm cheers from the American reading circles and critics, and won the U.S. National Award that year. Book Award.
Later, with the emergence of translations in various languages, Dawkins and his popular science classic entered the attention of more and more readers and gained widespread influence around the world.