This book puts forward a viewpoint that subverts Darwin's theory of evolution. The main body of evolution is genes, not biological individuals we thought before. Any living thing, including people, is just a tool and a carrier for genes to copy themselves. Genes will do anything to ensure that they can be copied, and sometimes even sacrifice the health and life of the vector. At this point, genes are extremely selfish, so the author calls them "selfish genes". As the carrier of genes, they are dominated by genes, so all creatures are born selfish.
First, why is it said that the main body of evolution is genes, and organisms are just tools used by genes to replicate themselves?
/kloc-Darwin's theory of evolution in the 9th century can be summed up in eight words-things compete with nature, and the fittest survive. In this view, we all think that evolution is that biological individuals make adaptive changes according to the changes of natural environment through means of heredity and mutation, so as to ensure that they can adapt to the environment and survive smoothly. However, Dawkins puts forward that the "things" in "things compete with nature" are not biological individuals, but. In other words, genes are the protagonists of evolution, not the biological individuals we have always thought.
Why genes are the main body of evolution, and organisms are just tools used by genes to copy themselves? First, from the origin of life, genes made organisms in the process of evolution in order to win competition and ensure that they can be copied; Second, from the evolutionary trend, the organism itself cannot be accurately copied, but the gene can be accurately copied. The organism will eventually die, but the gene will live forever.
Second, why genes are selfish, and why under the control of "selfish genes", organisms will still make altruistic behaviors.
Dawkins proved the selfishness of genes through three examples: mantis, sea rabbit and other creatures eating their spouses during mating, salmon swimming back to birth after hardships to lay eggs and then die, and human cancer genes. The goal of genes is always self-replication, not protecting the interests of vectors. Then through the story of bees and gazelles, it explains the real reason behind biological altruism, in order to protect their own survival and genetic inheritance. Therefore, these seemingly altruistic behaviors are actually selfish behaviors made by organisms under the control of selfish genes. Many behaviors that you think are free will are actually controlled by genes, while many seemingly altruistic behaviors are actually selfish.
For example, we can often see such a thing in our life. Some people work overtime and stay up late to complete a project. It is often seen in the news that someone sacrificed himself to save a drowning child. This seemingly altruistic behavior is actually a selfish behavior made by a creature under the control of selfish genes, and its purpose is actually selfish. Even so, we don't need to feel depressed or uneasy, because as human beings, we have a special weapon to resist genetic manipulation, and this weapon is to find a mother.
Third, how to get rid of genetic manipulation with the help of finding a mother
Dawkins put forward the word "seeking mother" for the first time in Selfish Genes, which is a Chinese transliteration of the English word "meme". Some people also translated "meme" into meme, so that the translation is to be symmetrical with genes. However, whether seeking mother or meme, it represents a cultural consideration unit, and it covers a very wide range, including scientific knowledge, religion, ideas, beliefs, behaviors and so on.
Mother-seeking is as good and bad as genes. A good mother-seeking is beneficial to us, such as the scientific knowledge and correct beliefs we have learned. They are all verified and reflect the initial information of the world, which can help us get rid of the control of genes and achieve our goals. Bad mother-seeking, like cancer cells, infects our brains, making us lose control of ourselves and completely become puppets of mother-seeking.
Those mothers who die for their beliefs and can go to heaven make terrorists willing to use themselves as suicide bombers to create terrorist attacks, such as those heroes who often die generously in some film and television dramas; Finding a mother who believes that it is easy to make a lot of money has made many people eager to give money to scammers. No matter how people around them discourage them, they are stubborn. For example, those who fall into the fraud circle are convinced that doing this project will make them make a lot of money, so they will not listen to anyone's persuasion.
In this regard, we must have the ability to distinguish between good and bad mother-seeking, accept good mother-seeking and resist bad mother-seeking. Genes control us through the spontaneous system, but the analytical system created by seeking mothers can inhibit the instinctive reaction of the spontaneous system, help us rationally analyze and evaluate our goals, and make choices that are more in line with our interests, thus getting rid of the control of genes.