selfish gene
DNA prioritizes itself
Selfish gene is the concept, from Richard Dawkins's 1976 book, that genes behave as if pursuing their own replication—organisms are vehicles for genetic survival rather than the other way around.
The idea reframes evolution: what looks like individual or group benefit may actually serve the gene's "interest" in copying itself.
From the selfish gene perspective, altruism toward relatives makes perfect sense.
Hereditary code molecule
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- allelesVariant forms of genes
- heredityGenetic trait transmission
recessive · dominant · nucleotide · locus · homozygous · heterozygous · transcription · base pairs
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- variationChange from a norm
heritability · selection pressure · reproductive success · competition · phenotype · common ancestor
British evolutionary biologist
- replicatorThing that duplicates
- vehicleMeans of transport
- longevityDuration of existence
- fecundityReproductive capacity
Joint action toward shared aims
- worker beesHive's female laborers
- alarm callsWarning sounds signaling danger
Attributing personality to things
- agencyPower to act
- purposeReason something exists
- intentionalityPurposeful action quality
- teleologyStudy of purpose in nature
as if · heuristic · misunderstanding · controversy · literal interpretation · popular science
DNA
Hereditary code molecule
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- allelesVariant forms of genes
heredity · recessive · dominant · nucleotide · locus · homozygous · heterozygous · transcription · base pairs · codon
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- speciationFormation of distinct species
variation · heritability · selection pressure · reproductive success · competition · phenotype · common ancestor
Dawkins
British evolutionary biologist
- replicatorThing that duplicates
- vehicleMeans of transport
- longevityDuration of existence
cooperation
Joint action toward shared aims
- worker beesHive's female laborers
- alarm callsWarning sounds signaling danger
anthropomorphism
Attributing personality to things
- agencyPower to act
- purposeReason something exists
- intentionalityPurposeful action quality
teleology · as if · heuristic · misunderstanding · controversy · literal interpretation · popular science
- evolutionevolution, natural selection, mutation, adaptation, speciation
- geneticsDNA, allele, chromosomes, chromosome, mutation
- Genesallele, oncogene, transgene, wild type, BRCA1
- Dawkins Biologymeme, replicator, vehicle, The God Delusion, brights
- kin selectionrelatedness, coefficient, nepotism, fitness, fitness benefits
- Sociobiologysociobiology, natural selection, sexual selection, altruism, mating strategies
selfish geneorganicism
Unified living systems theory
holism · epigenetics · plasticity · spandrel
selfish, gene, self, selfishly, selfishness, unselfish, unselfishly, selfless, selflessness