Dawkins argues that the key unit in determining successful survival and reproduction, and so behaviour, is not the individual but the each gene carried in the cells of the organism – what he calls the replicators.
It’s complicated, even though Dawkins simplifies and
exemplifies, which makes it a challenging read. His breezy style lightens the
load but I found I needed to read it in small stints, inevitably over an extended
period, to retain enthusiasm.
I have read more readable popular science, Isaac Asimov and
Bill Bryson come to mind, but their purpose was to inform and explain whereas
here Dawkins is seeking to persuade. Hence he is a little hectoring and comes
across as a bit of a show-off.
Still the main thrust of the argument is hammered home and
is plausible enough; but in the absence of detailed knowledge of the field, or
any alternative hypothesis considered, the reader has to take it or leave it.
It is worth reading to see what the fuss is (or was) about,
and to tick off a book that finds its way on to many a reading list, but neither
a page-turner nor a life-changer for me.
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