Richard Dawkins wrote The Selfish Gene in 1976. This book discusses the ideas of evolution and how the trait of being selfish is passed on. He then goes on to mention the possibility of overcoming these selfish tendencies.
Dawkins states that the purpose of his book is to “examine the biology of selfishness and altruism” (Dawkins 1). From the very outset, Dawkins makes it clear that he is not concerned about the various mental states which may affect human behavior, but only with our actual physical behavior in order to understand how such behavior affects the “survival prospects of the presumed altruist and the prospects of the presumed beneficiary” (Dawkins 5). Thus, Dawkins’s examination of selfish and altruistic behavior wants to focus solely on how physical actions will have a net positive or negative impact on the evolution of the species.
Born With the Selfish Gene
In order to gauge the impact of selfish and altruistic behavior in human beings, Dawkins makes certain assumptions which are tied to his theory of evolution. The primary assumption of his theory is that, because of our “selfish genes,” human beings are born selfish (Dawkins 3). That is, for Dawkins we do not “learn” to be selfish, but our physical attributes (our gene pool) equips us with a selfish nature from the day we are born.
Get Over Yourself: Unlearn Selfish Traits
What is important under this theory is that the human species -- unlike other animals – have the ability with which to overcome selfish tendencies, and thus become more caring and altruistic to others. According to Dawkins, genetically inherited traits are not irreversible, but may actually be “unlearned”:
“Our genes may instruct us to be selfish, but we are not necessarily compelled to obey them all of our lives. It may just be more difficult to learn altruism than it would be if we were genetically programmed to be altruistic. Among animals, man is uniquely dominated by culture, by influences learned and handed down.” (Dawkins 3)
In other words, Dawkins espouses the idea that human beings are necessarily born with a selfish nature, but that our selfish attributes may be upset through certain influences which we can learn from our culture and traditions. Therefore, Dawkins’s theory of evolution is compatible with the idea that human civilization may evolve to a higher level so long as we understand that our species has a physical design that is contrary to self-sacrifice.
If Dawkins’s theory is correct, then there is hope that civilization may be developed to a higher plane with the proper amount of study of our genetic qualities being balanced against sufficient teaching of altruism to the individual.
John Hansen - He enjoys 19th & 20th century literature, has found a renewed passion in poetry, and regularly reads contemporary non-fiction and ...
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