The Selfish Genius The Selfish Genius The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin's Legacy is a 2009 book by Fern Elsdon-Baker about the history of evolutionary theory, published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species". The book provides an overview of the historical and philosophical debates that have continued throughout the history of evolutionary theory, and carry on to this day in debates surrounding the merits of gene-centric selection and group selection models. The book is particularly critical of the popular science author Richard Dawkins, claiming that he presents a brand of
The Major Transitions in Evolution The Major Transitions in Evolution The Major Transitions in Evolution is a book written by John Maynard Smith and Eörs Szathmáry (Oxford University Press, 1995). At the time of its publication, Egbert Giles Leigh, Jr reviewing for "Evolution" commented that it "may be the most important book on evolution since [R.A.] Fisher's (1930) "The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection"". Maynard Smith and Szathmary authored a review article in "Nature". Maynard Smith and Szathmáry identified several properties common to the transitions: As stated by the authors, this book was aimed at professional biologists and assumes considerable prior knowledge. They have also