The Selfish Gene is a classic exposition of evolutionary thought. In
it Professor Dawkins articulates a gene's eye view of evolution - a view
giving centre stage to these persistent units of information, and in
which organisms can be seen as vehicles for the replication of genes.
The book provoked widespread and heated debate, which in part led
Dawkins to write The Extended Phenotype, in which he gave a deeper
clarification of the central concept of the gene as the unit of
selection, as well as contributing his own development of this insight.
For the first time, The Extended Selfish Gene brings these two books
together, by including two key chapters from The Extended Phenotype.
These chapters provide Dawkins's detailed and powerful response to two
issues raised by critics of The Selfish Gene: the accusations of
genetic determinism (the idea that our behaviour is entirely determined
by our genes), and of "adaptationism" (that all traits are
indiscriminately perceived to be adaptations resulting from natural
selection). While written in particular for the biology community,
Dawkins's clarity of expression allows these chapters to be accessible
to all who are seriously engaged with the gene's eye view and its
implications.
The imaginative, powerful, and stylistically brilliant Selfish Gene
not only brought the insights of Neo-Darwinism to a wide audience, but
galvanized the biology community, generating much debate and stimulating
whole new areas of research. Forty years later, its insights remain as
significant as on the day it was published. Along with the two extra
chapters, The Extended Selfish Gene includes a new epilogue to The
Selfish Gene from the author which highlights the relevance of the
gene's eye view to evolutionary biology today.
