Gene-centered view of evolution Richard Dawkins and George C. Williams, other biologists and philosophers have expanded and refined the selfish-gene theory, such as John Maynard Smith, George R. Price, Robert Trivers, David Haig, Helena Cronin, David Hull, Philip Kitcher, and Daniel C. Dennett. The gene-centric view has been opposed by Ernst Mayr, Stephen Jay Gould, David Sloan Wilson, and philosopher Elliott Sober. An alternative, multilevel selection (MLS), has been advocated by E. O. Wilson, David Sloan Wilson, Sober, Richard E. Michod, and Samir Okasha. Writing in the "New York Review of Books", Gould has characterized the gene-centered perspective as confusing book-keeping with causality. Gould
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