Selfish_Gene

Selfish Gene In his book, The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins explains his theory on the selfishness of genes. According to him, entities are either altruistic or selfish by nature, and seemingly altruistic characteristics usually tend to be selfish in reality, once they are looked at more closely. Something is said to be altruistic "…if it behaves in such a way as to increase another such entity's welfare at the expense of its own. Selfish behavior has exactly the opposite effect. (Page 4)" The gene, one of these such entities, is perhaps the most selfish of all, doing anything possible to assure its survival. Dawkins further explains his proof of this theory in many areas, including but not limited to DNA, birth, survival and death of a being, and how entities protect not only themselves but go to long ranges to protect their genes in nature. Richard Dawkins begins his proof of the selfish gene theory by stating how entities are merely "survival machines" for the genes that occupy them. Genes therefore can survive for generation after generation by using entities to carry on their existence. The selfish gene theory applies because the genes merely use genes, selfish, gene, dawkins, one, altruistic, theory, survival, group, therefore, own, organism, entities, organisms, large, goes, being, act, problem, merely, individual, flock, examples, bird, through, survive, shelter, seem, same, relatedness, reality, rather, page, nature, long