THE EXTENDED SELFISH GENE

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