Nature only accounts for individuals who can survive and reproduce.

Wild animals always protect one another within a group regardless of the level of DNA shared.

Individuals pass on cultural values and aesthetics to their offspring to keep their connection stronger.

Organisms possess a selfish gene which allows them to risk their lives for the benefit of their younger or loved gene.

Science replaces private prejudice with public, verifiable evidence.

Tit for Tat is basically a strategy where one party is rewarded for the decisions they’ve made.

Despite the incredible diversity of life, all organisms are made from the same molecules and follow the same genetic code, written in just four nucleotides—adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine.This unity shows that every gene, no matter the species, traces back to those first self-replicating molecules, linking all life together in a shared story of survival.

But genes don’t act alone—they provide general instructions, not detailed commands.For example, genes can’t decide to grow thick fur for winter or shed it in summer; instead, they offer broad protection strategies.That’s where learning and adaptation come in.While genes set the foundation, our brains let us tweak and control our responses, sometimes even overriding instinct.Even though reproduction is hardwired in our genes, our conscious choices can change that path.

Our nervous system and brain show how natural selection shaped us with sense organs that connect us to the world around us.Think of our survival like a complex computer program running inside us.Just like a computer uses software to detect and solve problems, our genes program our bodies with survival strategies—and certain behaviors kick in depending on the situation.

Neurons: The Body’s Electric Messengers

Children can also influence how much care they get by their behavior or demands.Dawkins even suggests that kids shouldn’t hesitate to ask for what they need—they’re entitled to it.In the wild, survival means sometimes competing with close relatives or even pushing them aside. The environment rewards the genes best suited to thrive.For instance, koalas can live and reproduce in an attic better than humans can survive the cold—showing how nature favors the fittest in each setting.

Nature has selected the female individual to go through child-bearing because offspring are naturally more attached to females than males.

Survival depends on traits each individual is born with—traits that help them live long enough to have offspring and pass those traits on.Nature doesn’t create these traits; it simply lets the best-suited individuals survive. This is the essence of “survival of the fittest.”Darwin also revealed the power of genes—the real drivers of evolution. Genes aren’t selfish in a mean way; they simply work to protect themselves.That’s why a mother cares for her children: they share the same genes, and those genes “want” to survive through the next generation.

Genes must be able to predict what’s expected of an environmental condition actively.

Before Darwin, people mostly relied on religion to explain where humans came from—but no clear answers emerged.Darwin wasn’t the first to imagine evolution, but he was the first to prove it with solid science. His research showed that every species survives because nature places them where they can thrive.

Darwin: The Codebreaker of Life

Since males can father unlimited children, they are more likely to abandon their families.To keep males involved, females use clever strategies: they might require males to work hard before mating—by providing food, shelter, or commitment.This investment encourages males to stick around because leaving means losing their effort.But it’s not all smooth—some females trick other males into caring for their offspring, and in response, males may defend their own offspring fiercely, sometimes even killing the young of rivals.

To survive, these replicators built “survival machines”—the bodies of living organisms.Think of bodies like highly programmed robots, following instructions coded in genes. Organisms behave the way they do because genes, the original replicators, tell them how.At the heart of every organism’s purpose is one thing: to help genes reproduce and pass themselves down through generations.

The more we understand the selfish gene, the better we understand ourselves, our biases, and our need to navigate the world in a way that ensures both individual and collective survival.Sometimes, what appears selfish is simply nature’s way of ensuring we don’t get left behind.In a world of constant competition, survival often demands tough choices. And those who understand the logic behind these choices are better equipped to thrive.

Dawkins highlights how organisms can switch between personalities—sometimes retreating, sometimes attacking first, or retaliating when provoked.This idea was tested by John Maynard Smith through “Evolutionary Stable Strategies” (ESS), using roles like “hawk” (aggressive) and “dove” (peaceful).Smith found that no one strategy wins outright.For example, “retaliators” stay peaceful unless attacked, “bullys” fight first but run if challenged, and “prober-retaliators” test opponents with an attack but back down if met with resistance.

Does a mother naturally favor one child over another?According to Dawkins, parental care is shaped by natural selection, not favoritism.Sometimes, a mother might focus more on a child who is healthier or more likely to meet her expectations.Mothers tend to pay more attention to daughters, while fathers often favor sons.But these preferences aren’t just random—they’re tied to survival and reproductive strategies.

No Natural Favoritism: Parents and Their Offspring

Scientists don’t have all the answers about how life began on Earth—or even how the universe itself came to be.But they have a strong theory: chemical reactions sparked the formation of simple molecules that could copy themselves.Dawkins paints a vivid picture of the first molecule that learned to replicate—sometimes making mistakes, or mutations—which created variation.These early replicators became the building blocks of life, eventually evolving into DNA.

Life’s Origins: A Mystery Still Unsolved

A mother has no genetic reason to favor one child over another.

In hostile groups dominated by defectors, it can trap cooperators in endless retaliation cycles.Dawkins extends this idea to the concept of the extended phenotype—how genes influence not only the organism but also its environment.For example, caddisflies build protective houses that help their survival and reproduction.Natural selection favors traits that improve survival and reproduction, explaining why some genes and behaviors become dominant.Interestingly, humans have about 20,000 to 25,000 genes, each influencing our survival in complex ways.

Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.

Dawkins explores how organisms are both selfish and altruistic, using language and behavior to survive and thrive.The species that best use their environment gain the upper hand—sometimes even pushing other species aside.Take humans: by mastering cold climates, we outcompete even polar bears in some ways. Within species, individuals mainly compete for status and mates, so aggression varies depending on the situation.

Language: The Power to Connect, Influence, and Control

A mother’s protective instinct is stronger, partly because she’s more certain the child is hers.This certainty fuels her drive to keep her offspring safe, more so than distant relatives might feel.But altruism isn’t exclusive to parents—kin of all kinds show caring behaviors because of the shared genetic connection.

In the wild, animals face tough odds: predators, hunger, and competition make survival a daily challenge. Even if animals don’t control their birth rates, nature ensures only the fittest survive.Territory matters, too. Animals that lose their space lose access to food and mates, but when a leader falls, another quickly steps in.Knowing when to fight and when to step back can make all the difference—because losing a battle could just mean being replaced.

Study the principles of natural selection and genetic behavior.It can offer profound insights into how all living organisms—including you—adapt to new environments and challenges.Understanding the selfish gene isn't just about biology. It’s a guide to understanding life itself.

Try this!

Political scientist Robert Axelrod and biologist W.D. Hamilton studied altruism using the Prisoner’s Dilemma—a game where two players can choose to cooperate or betray each other.Betrayal offers a tempting payoff, but if both betray, both lose.This dilemma led to the discovery of the “Tit for Tat” strategy: start by cooperating, then mirror your partner’s last move. If they betray, you retaliate once, then return to cooperation.Tit for Tat balances vengeance with forgiveness and thrives only in environments where others are also inclined to cooperate.

Tit for Tat: The Art of Vengeance and Forgiveness in Evolution

Humans take cooperation a step further with culture — what Dawkins calls “memes.” These are ideas, habits, or beliefs that spread from person to person, shaping how we think, behave, and live together.Memes are like cultural genes, surviving and evolving based on how much they resonate with us.Religion is a powerful meme, offering identity, community, and rules to follow. Some memes appeal directly to our beliefs and values, while others tap into fears—like the idea of hell—to keep people in line.

Imagine a bird giving an alarm call to warn others of danger.This selfless act might be because many of the other birds share its genes—or maybe it’s hoping for help in return to boost its own survival.Sometimes, like certain bees that die after stinging predators, sacrifice means protecting the group even at a personal cost.But this kind of cooperation only works if everyone plays fair.If some birds ignore the alarm, others will soon stop sounding the warning too. This delicate balance between helping and cheating keeps the system in check.

When Selfishness Meets Altruism: How Group Survival Shapes Behavior

Gametes — the sex cells — exist in both males and females, but they’re quite different. Males produce many small gametes (sperm), while females produce fewer but larger ones (eggs).Because females invest more energy in carrying and nurturing embryos, natural selection has assigned most of the child-rearing role to them.Dawkins calls this female effort “honest” work, while male reproduction can sometimes be more “exploitative” since males can father many offspring without much effort.

Gametes: The Common Thread in All Sexual Life

The selfish gene lies at the heart of evolution—especially when it comes to human behavior. It offers a powerful lens through which we can understand why we act the way we do.Whether our choices appear selfish or altruistic, they often trace back to the gene’s underlying goal: survival and replication.Our behaviors, instincts, and even moral decisions are shaped, in part, by the genes we inherit. These genes have been naturally selected over generations to increase our odds of survival.Adaptation isn’t just a trait—it’s a necessity.

Conclusion: Understanding Ourselves Through the Selfish Gene

For a group of organisms to exist without much problem, the need for altruism is absolutely necessary.

When two species occupy an environment, they become prey and predators, unlike when it’s intraspecies.

The selfish gene’s ultimate goal is simple: to survive and spread by making copies of itself.To do this, it sometimes looks selfish—protecting its own body—but can also appear altruistic by helping close relatives who share many of its copies.Genes recognize kin because relatives often carry the same genetic material.That’s why parents naturally protect their children, and why we often feel a strong bond with extended family—even cousins share enough genes to trigger these instincts.

The Selfish Gene’s Mission: Passing the Torch of Life Across Generations

Ever wonder what really drives life? The Selfish Gene reveals how our instincts, behaviors—even love—are shaped by tiny genes fighting to survive. Discover the code behind your nature.

Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life. In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk. This revised edition of Dawkins' fascinating book contains two new chapters. One, entitled "Nice Guys Finish First," demonstrates how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world. The other new chapter, entitled "The Long Reach of the Gene," which reflects the arguments presented in Dawkins' The Extended Phenotype, clarifies the startling view that genes may reach outside the bodies in which they dwell and manipulate other individuals and even the world at large. Containing a wealth of remarkable new insights into the biological world, the second edition once again drives home the fact that truth is stranger than fiction.

Understand yourself and those around you.

RICHARD DAWKINS

Similar ideas

Genetics and genius

Fast-Forecasting

Major Factors That Influence Brain Development