The Selfish Gene - book review

The Selfish Gene is hailed as a scientific masterpiece and whilst it is not directly linked to medicine it is of huge importance and for me significance for anyone who wants to venture into medicine. Medicine is the joining of the study of science with the social impact of working with patients, so therefore to not read this book purely for the fact it is not specifically medical would be wrong. The book deals with evolution, the way in which genes utilise us the survival machines to survive and live an immortal life as possible. Dawkins creates a book that explains seemingly complex scientific concepts without the use of any real scientific language and no mathematics; he explains ideas of genetics without the language of a geneticist, hence making the whole book extremely accessible and enjoyable to read for anyone. Therefore I agree with W.D Hamilton who states that ‘this book should be read, can be read, by almost anyone’.

For me the book has given me a new outlook on life. Not the pessimistic outlook and existential crisis that it has given so many, but in fact an eye opening outlook. To view evolution as a product of genes wanting to survive and not organisms is refreshing and an idea that is completely new to me, as throughout school whilst learning about evolution in biology lessons I have always been told that natural selection favours characteristics that allow survival of the organism, the idea that it is in fact the genes that are attempting to survive and are controlling us to an extent is never mentioned.  I found the first few chapters to be the most interesting, in particular the second chapter ‘the replicators’ as I have always been haunted with the question of how did chemicals evolve to become complex organisms that roam Earth today. I was fascinated to learn of replicator chemicals that lived in the primeval soup and how over time they created survival machines in order to populate the soup further, and these survival machines eventually evolved to become the modern day organisms. If anything the whole book has answered many of my questions regarding evolution and the mechanisms behind it. However, similarly the book has answered questions that I did not realise I had such as how can predators and prey co-exist? How altruism evolved? Why we have so many or so few children? The list is endless, and all the while the book introduces new ideas to me from explanation of memes (‘the seemingly self-replicating pool of art and science, literature and music, knowledge, folklore and platitude that survives with each human life’) to why we protect our family members more often than strangers.

Moreover, another section of the book that sparked my immediate interest is Dawkins brief explanation of lethal genes and Medawar’s theory. In his brief explanation of why we die of old age he explains how if we were to create a law that meant that we as people bred only after a certain age we could over time become near immortal. This concept both inspired and terrified me, possibly for the same reasons, yet this section again informed me of science that I did not know existed, thanks to the concept of lethal genes- a gene that makes its possessor die. In addition to Medawar’s theory that lethal genes are responsible for death of old age Dawkins also introduces another idea, which is more traditional, posed by other scientists that organisms die of old age because ‘old individuals die as an act of altruism to the rest of the species’, suggesting that if they were to live they would be ineffective at reproduction and serve no real purpose. Whether which theory is correct Medawar’s or the more traditional theory is up for debate. However, this part of the book was of particular interest to me because I found there was a clear link to medicine here. By understanding more about lethal genes, their effect on humans, could it be possible to eradicate them and live longer? Obviously I have no expertise in the field, and my understanding I will admit is limited, but it was the first idea that came to my head, especially after reading onwards in the chapter about how certain substances that may be present in older individuals are what bring about death, and how if you were to remove these substances a cure would be found.

Through understanding concepts of science, the basic fundamentals of life, how organisms work we can create improvements. To me this summarises the importance of this book on any individual who wants to study medicine, the book explains a new outlook on evolution, not only informing me and readers of this important scientific idea, but it also resulted in me thinking more laterally, it has left me far more open minded than I was when I began reading it, and has left me wanting to question more about the world I am in. This is why this book is so important, it provides a new outlook on evolution and alters your way of thinking and viewing the world, for anyone, scientist or not, it is a must read.

I shall end with a quote from the ending in Dawkins’ first edition of The Selfish Gene, which I believe gives hope to anyone who feels disheartened and lost as a result of reading this book and the ideas posed by it, ‘We are built as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against our creators. We, alone on Earth can rebel against the tyranny of the selfish replicators.’