The Selfish Gene Another criticism of the book is its treatment of morality, and more particularly altruism, as existing only as a form of selfishness: The philosopher Mary Midgley has suggested this position is a variant of Hobbes' explanation of altruism as enlightened self-interest, and that Dawkins goes a step further to suggest that our genetic programming can be overcome by what amounts to an extreme version of free will. Part of Mary Midgley's concern is that Richard Dawkins' account of "The Selfish Gene" serves as a moral and ideological justification for selfishness to be adopted by modern human societies as simply following
Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle is "something for everyone to learn", from professional ornithologists to non-biologists. Bostwick warned scientific readers, however, that "Feathers" uses poetic license "to adapt some of the historical accounts a little to make them flow as stories" and that "Hanson uses a few analogies to explain some of the more complex biological phenomenon that are not entirely accurate." Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle is a 2011 natural history book by American conservation biologist Thor Hanson. Published by Basic Books and written for general audiences, the book discusses the significance of feathers, their