He also introduced the concept of self-reproducing ideas, or memes, which (seemingly) use humans exclusively for their propagation. Drawing fascinating examples from every field of biology, he paved the way for a serious re-evaluation of evolution. Why are there miles and miles of 'unused' DNA within each of our bodies? Why should a bee give up its own chance to reproduce to help raise her sisters and brothers? With a prophet's clarity, Dawkins told us the answers from the perspective of molecules competing for limited space and resources to produce more of their own kind. That simple reversal seems to answer many puzzlers which had stumped scientists for years, and we haven't thought of evolution in the same way since. Suppose, instead of thinking about organisms using genes to reproduce themselves, as we had since Mendel's work was rediscovered, we turn it around and imagine that 'our' genes build and maintain us in order to make more genes.

Inheriting the mantle of revolutionary biologist from Darwin, Watson, and Crick, Richard Dawkins forced an enormous change in the way we see ourselves and the world with the publication of The Selfish Gene. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. 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. 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. One, entitled 'Nice Guys Finish First,' demonstrates how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world. This revised edition of Dawkins' fascinating book contains two new chapters. 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. 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.

In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. 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. 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.

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