The Selfish Gene is a book on evolution by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. It builds upon the principal theory of George C. Williams's first book Adaptation and Natural Selection. Dawkins coined the term "selfish gene" as a way of expressing the gene-centred view of evolution as opposed to the views focused on the organism and the group. From the gene-centred view follows that the more two individuals are genetically related, the more sense (at the level of the genes) it makes for them to behave selflessly with each other. Therefore the concept is especially good at explaining many forms of altruism, regardless of a common misuse of the term along the lines of a selfishness gene.
An organism is expected to evolve to maximize its inclusive fitness—the number of copies of its genes passed on globally (rather than by a particular individual). As a result, populations will tend towards an evolutionarily stable strategy. The book also coins the term meme for a unit of human cultural evolution analogous to the gene, suggesting that such "selfish" replication may also model human culture, in a different sense. Memetics has become the subject of many studies since the publication of the book.
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941), known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was the University of Oxford's Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 until 2008.
Dawkins came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centered view of evolution and introduced the term meme. In 1982 he introduced an influential concept into evolutionary biology, presented in his book The Extended Phenotype, that the phenotypic effects of a gene are not necessarily limited to an organism's body, but can stretch far into the environment, including the bodies of other organisms.
Dawkins is an atheist, a vice president of the British Humanist Association, and a supporter of the Brights movement. He is well known for his criticism of creationism and intelligent design. In his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker, he argued against the watchmaker analogy, an argument for the existence of a supernatural creator based upon the complexity of living organisms. Instead, he described evolutionary processes as analogous to a blind watchmaker. He has since written several popular science books, and makes regular television and radio appearances, predominantly discussing these topics. In his 2006 book The God Delusion, Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that religious faith is a delusion—"a fixed false belief." As of January 2010 the English-language version has sold more than two million copies and had been translated into 31 languages.
Sweet little baby from the hills somewhere
Here's a pretty lovebud for your hair
Itty bitty girl, sippin? Grenadine
Look who's talking to selfish Gene
There's a place way down in Brentwood
Out to Georgio's we all g'wine
The maitre 'd's gonna take care of everything
He?s a personal friend of mine, what a prize you are?
Honey don?t you scratch my new car
Selfish Gene, he?s one in a million
A safe harbor in every storm
Many call but few are chosen
Hey, pretty baby, let?s have a little fun
The Pinot is flowing and the night?s still young
Over and above and behind and between
Make a little party for selfish Gene
Steady girl, let me grab on your wig hat
Down in the corn crib we shall go
No brains, no regrets, no worries
Hidey hi, hidey hey, hidey ho, kundalini now
Baby, let me show you how
Selfish Gene, don?t lick no Manolos
He don?t argue, he don?t ask twice
Selfish Gene, don?t serve two masters
(Why)
Must every time I turn my ship around?
Some bastard come and knock my skyline down
I guess that?s everything I suppose
The play date?s over and the case is closed
Tell me momma that I didn?t do right
To have a little something on amateur night
I feel sure that we?ll meet again sometime
Don?t see why and I don?t know when
Maybe I?ll catch you down at the daily
If you haven?t moved on by then
Take a dollar from the drawer
Daddy?s got a whole lot more
Selfish Gene needs clarity and closure
This is his house and that?s your cab
You need a hug, now don?t be bashful
Do yourself and your friend a favor
You don?t bargain with selfish Gene