Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Good use of analogy, really aids the conceptual understanding.
CHAP 1:
- Bodies are machines programmed to do whatever is best for our genes as a whole
- EVOLUTION IS BLIND TO THE FUTURE
- Biased towards our own species - same rules don't apply - but does not make them exempt
- Called 'The Selfish Gene' bc gene is most important unit of natural selection and survival of fitting - it takes on this small scale between alleles as opposed to between species
- Genes have unconscious motives; only care about their own longevity not reproductive success and its relatives
CHAP 2:
- Nothing actually wants to evolve, it is the mistakes in replication that allows for it. We only think it’s good bc we are the product
- Early replicators = our founding fathers
- Replicators discovered how to protect themselves from competition, perhaps chemically or by building physical wall of protein around themselves. May be how first living cells came about
- The ancient replicators now go by name of GENES, and like the protein coat, we are their survival machines
CHAP 3:
- You do not pass your knowledge onto your children through a genetic means - every generation starts from scratch
- Mimicry ~ nasty tasting butterflies are coloured so fine tasting ones copy their look
- Gene is not indivisible but is seldom divided
- Genes are immortal - lives in its copies not in its atoms
- We are not stable enough through evolutionary time
- Genes are only competing w its alleles, not other genes in environment. But effect of gene depends on environment
- Genes tend to postpone their death til after repro. Ones that don’t = lethal genes
CHAP 4:
- Systems of communication are not only exploited for the own ends interspecifically, but also intra-specifically
- Genes differ between individuals of same species. Bc all animal interactions involve a conflict of interest, they too will turn on each other, employing deception at whatever cost.
CHAP 5:
- Aggression is misunderstood
- Animals do not fight to kill as often as presumed - fighting takes up energy and time and is not always advantageous - cost-benefit calculation takes place (wait-and-hope strategy)
- ESS - evolutionary stable strategy - determines who fights who based on if strategy is stable or not, i.e. why lions don’t fight other lions
- Genes tend to compliment one another, to reach an equilibrium depending on demand available
CHAP 6:
Gene might be able to assist replicas of itself sitting in other bodies. This = individual altruism brought about by gene selfishness.
CHAP 7:
- Reducing birth rates for good of group as whole
- Groups that do this are less likely to go extinct
- Social life = mechanism of popn regulation = territoriality and dominance hierarchies
- Increased bearing is paid for in less efficient caring
- Welfare state is unnatural but altruistic system
- Altruistic systems are unstable bc open to abuse by selfish individuals
CHAP 8:
- Children are selfish (battle of the generations)
- Blackmailing tactic from child to parent
- We must teach children altruism bc is not part of biological nature
CHAP 11: MEMES
- Cultural evolution is only shown through humans, separating us from rest of the animal kingdom
- Darwinism is too big for the context of the gene
- Meme = replicator for soup of human culture, constantly mutating (altering)
- Meme = basis of everyone’s idea of revolution, but everyone’s idea is different in expansion
- We are created by genes and cultures by memes
- Memes and genes last after death, but memes last longer bc genes passed down by generation is reduced but motifs carry on through time
- We have the power as humans to defy selfish genes and memes for genuine, disinterested altruism
CHAP 12:
Nice guys finish first - mutualistic cooperation - blood donation = disinterested altruism or biased to old friends?
CHAP 1:
- Bodies are machines programmed to do whatever is best for our genes as a whole
- EVOLUTION IS BLIND TO THE FUTURE
- Biased towards our own species - same rules don't apply - but does not make them exempt
- Called 'The Selfish Gene' bc gene is most important unit of natural selection and survival of fitting - it takes on this small scale between alleles as opposed to between species
- Genes have unconscious motives; only care about their own longevity not reproductive success and its relatives
CHAP 2:
- Nothing actually wants to evolve, it is the mistakes in replication that allows for it. We only think it’s good bc we are the product
- Early replicators = our founding fathers
- Replicators discovered how to protect themselves from competition, perhaps chemically or by building physical wall of protein around themselves. May be how first living cells came about
- The ancient replicators now go by name of GENES, and like the protein coat, we are their survival machines
CHAP 3:
- You do not pass your knowledge onto your children through a genetic means - every generation starts from scratch
- Mimicry ~ nasty tasting butterflies are coloured so fine tasting ones copy their look
- Gene is not indivisible but is seldom divided
- Genes are immortal - lives in its copies not in its atoms
- We are not stable enough through evolutionary time
- Genes are only competing w its alleles, not other genes in environment. But effect of gene depends on environment
- Genes tend to postpone their death til after repro. Ones that don’t = lethal genes
CHAP 4:
- Systems of communication are not only exploited for the own ends interspecifically, but also intra-specifically
- Genes differ between individuals of same species. Bc all animal interactions involve a conflict of interest, they too will turn on each other, employing deception at whatever cost.
CHAP 5:
- Aggression is misunderstood
- Animals do not fight to kill as often as presumed - fighting takes up energy and time and is not always advantageous - cost-benefit calculation takes place (wait-and-hope strategy)
- ESS - evolutionary stable strategy - determines who fights who based on if strategy is stable or not, i.e. why lions don’t fight other lions
- Genes tend to compliment one another, to reach an equilibrium depending on demand available
CHAP 6:
Gene might be able to assist replicas of itself sitting in other bodies. This = individual altruism brought about by gene selfishness.
CHAP 7:
- Reducing birth rates for good of group as whole
- Groups that do this are less likely to go extinct
- Social life = mechanism of popn regulation = territoriality and dominance hierarchies
- Increased bearing is paid for in less efficient caring
- Welfare state is unnatural but altruistic system
- Altruistic systems are unstable bc open to abuse by selfish individuals
CHAP 8:
- Children are selfish (battle of the generations)
- Blackmailing tactic from child to parent
- We must teach children altruism bc is not part of biological nature
CHAP 11: MEMES
- Cultural evolution is only shown through humans, separating us from rest of the animal kingdom
- Darwinism is too big for the context of the gene
- Meme = replicator for soup of human culture, constantly mutating (altering)
- Meme = basis of everyone’s idea of revolution, but everyone’s idea is different in expansion
- We are created by genes and cultures by memes
- Memes and genes last after death, but memes last longer bc genes passed down by generation is reduced but motifs carry on through time
- We have the power as humans to defy selfish genes and memes for genuine, disinterested altruism
CHAP 12:
Nice guys finish first - mutualistic cooperation - blood donation = disinterested altruism or biased to old friends?
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Enjoyed first half but started getting repetitive and boring towards the end
Richard Dawkin's logic is incontrovertible, with fascinating and eye-opening insights into the origins of human life. As a person with barely rudimentary knowledge in biology, this book was easy to read, and has given me quite a thorough understanding of Darwinism.
This book is definitely a letdown for those of us who are accustomed to think that human beings, or even life is special or mystic (a small part of me died too, I'm glad it did). But Dawkins kindly does point out that if there is hope in this world, it is human beings.
This was a completely non-magical and amazing experience, and has left me hungry to understand more about the complex ways in which life works.
This book is definitely a letdown for those of us who are accustomed to think that human beings, or even life is special or mystic (a small part of me died too, I'm glad it did). But Dawkins kindly does point out that if there is hope in this world, it is human beings.
This was a completely non-magical and amazing experience, and has left me hungry to understand more about the complex ways in which life works.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
"Whenever a system of communication evolves, there is always the danger that some will exploit the system for their own ends."
challenging
informative
slow-paced
It's a great effort on Richard Dawkins part to make science understandable in colloquial language.
it was really thrilling to take this journey of evolution with him and also very rewarding.
it was really thrilling to take this journey of evolution with him and also very rewarding.