The Selfish Genius as brilliantly identifying how Dawkins' views sit within the latest theories on evolution. 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 Selfish Gene the benefit of the behaver, but whether it is to the benefit of the gene "G" ...With altruism this will happen only if the affected individual is a relative of the altruist, therefore having an increased chance of carrying the gene. An extended discussion of Dawkins' views and his book "The Selfish Gene" is provided by Wilkins and Hull. Dawkins begins by discussing the altruism that people display, indicating that he will argue it is explained by gene selfishness, and attacking group selection as an explanation. He considers the origin of life with the arrival of molecules able to replicate