Kevin’s Reviews > The Selfish Gene > Status Update
Kevin
is 77% done
Ch11:"Memes: The New Replicators"
This is the chapter that generated the theory of memetics and introduced the word meme to our lexicon. The idea is that genes take a long time to mutate into evolutionarily stable strategies, but cultural ideas spread and mutate quite rapidly. This can help explain why some behavior that is seemingly unhelpful to gene replication can propagate through a species over many generations
— Jul 05, 2014 02:07PM
This is the chapter that generated the theory of memetics and introduced the word meme to our lexicon. The idea is that genes take a long time to mutate into evolutionarily stable strategies, but cultural ideas spread and mutate quite rapidly. This can help explain why some behavior that is seemingly unhelpful to gene replication can propagate through a species over many generations
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Kevin
is 99% done
Ch13:The Long Reach of the Gene-
Extended phenotypes (characteristics of an organism that go beyond its body) are the main topic. These are explained to be an extension of the vehicle that is the survival machine (organism). The conclusion reiterates that the immortal replicators (genes) are the unconscious drivers of those vehicles. Finally, their environment is the road that leads to the ESSs that guide evolution.
— Jul 06, 2014 12:52PM
Extended phenotypes (characteristics of an organism that go beyond its body) are the main topic. These are explained to be an extension of the vehicle that is the survival machine (organism). The conclusion reiterates that the immortal replicators (genes) are the unconscious drivers of those vehicles. Finally, their environment is the road that leads to the ESSs that guide evolution.
Kevin
is 87% done
Ch12:"Nice Guys Finish First"
The classic Prisoner's Dilemma is discussed, as it applies to ESSs over many iterations of play. When the game is played indefinitely, seemingly altruistic ("nice") strategies can dominate a population; if a high enough proportion of organisms employing such strategies. This is more likely to be the case in nature than the situation where all organisms know how long the game will last.
— Jul 06, 2014 09:08AM
The classic Prisoner's Dilemma is discussed, as it applies to ESSs over many iterations of play. When the game is played indefinitely, seemingly altruistic ("nice") strategies can dominate a population; if a high enough proportion of organisms employing such strategies. This is more likely to be the case in nature than the situation where all organisms know how long the game will last.
Kevin
is 72% done
Ch10:"You Scratch My Back, I'll Ride on Yours"
The familiar game theory motif appears once again to explain reciprocity in mammals as well as hierarchies in the social insects. It's fascinating to think of how simple ants and bees are as individuals, yet the colonies exhibit complex behavior. The selfish gene, and game theory, explains this behavior very well.
— Jun 28, 2014 06:48PM
The familiar game theory motif appears once again to explain reciprocity in mammals as well as hierarchies in the social insects. It's fascinating to think of how simple ants and bees are as individuals, yet the colonies exhibit complex behavior. The selfish gene, and game theory, explains this behavior very well.
Kevin
is 63% done
Ch9:"Battle of the Sexes"
Another interesting game theory application used to model promiscuity and fidelity. These examples give clear motivations, but the payoffs are quite arbitrarily defined. I'm glad to see a clarification of the "fallacious economics" introduced by the parental investment concept; that the resources used in the past has any impact on future utility. Potential utility trumps all in decisions.
— Jun 27, 2014 01:15PM
Another interesting game theory application used to model promiscuity and fidelity. These examples give clear motivations, but the payoffs are quite arbitrarily defined. I'm glad to see a clarification of the "fallacious economics" introduced by the parental investment concept; that the resources used in the past has any impact on future utility. Potential utility trumps all in decisions.
Kevin
is 53% done
Ch8:"Battle of the Generations"
Much is left to be desired from the argument in this chapter. Traditionally, ecologists have used the calorie as a unit of utility in cost/benefit analyses. Dawkins proposes chance-of-survival as a more fitting measure for parental investment (P.I.) when examining how a parent should distribute her resources to her many offspring. This is all very convenient yet not very convincing.
— Jun 27, 2014 10:52AM
Much is left to be desired from the argument in this chapter. Traditionally, ecologists have used the calorie as a unit of utility in cost/benefit analyses. Dawkins proposes chance-of-survival as a more fitting measure for parental investment (P.I.) when examining how a parent should distribute her resources to her many offspring. This is all very convenient yet not very convincing.
Kevin
is 47% done
Ch7:"Family Planning"
A short but intriguing chapter discussing population-size control and "clutch-size". The Wynne-Edwards group selection theory is on trial again. Yet, Dawkins concedes that the observations may be correct despite being at odds with the selfish-gene mechanism. An interesting argument about territorial behavior had me scratching my head as to how it could limit the population size. I don't buy it.
— Jun 26, 2014 07:07PM
A short but intriguing chapter discussing population-size control and "clutch-size". The Wynne-Edwards group selection theory is on trial again. Yet, Dawkins concedes that the observations may be correct despite being at odds with the selfish-gene mechanism. An interesting argument about territorial behavior had me scratching my head as to how it could limit the population size. I don't buy it.
Kevin
is 42% done
Ch6:"Genesmanship"
The main thesis shifts towards the 'altruism' gene as being a subtle consequent of the selfish gene (you should want your siblings to survive because they share a percentage of your genes). Examples of apparent kin-selection throughout the animal kindgdom include lions and various birds. The study of genetics has become increasingly mathematical in the past 50 years and reliant on computer models.
— Jun 23, 2014 09:06AM
The main thesis shifts towards the 'altruism' gene as being a subtle consequent of the selfish gene (you should want your siblings to survive because they share a percentage of your genes). Examples of apparent kin-selection throughout the animal kindgdom include lions and various birds. The study of genetics has become increasingly mathematical in the past 50 years and reliant on computer models.
Kevin
is 34% done
Ch5:"Aggression: Stability and the Selfish Machine"
Dawkins begins by using an example of a simple game theory model to dispel the theory of group selection. He demonstrates the concept of an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) by modeling territorial defense and aggression as a game with various conditional strategies. The best strategies allow the survival machine to survive, hence the genes survive.
— Jun 22, 2014 08:43PM
Dawkins begins by using an example of a simple game theory model to dispel the theory of group selection. He demonstrates the concept of an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) by modeling territorial defense and aggression as a game with various conditional strategies. The best strategies allow the survival machine to survive, hence the genes survive.
Kevin
is 26% done
Ch5:"The Gene Machine"
Ok, so this chapter's analogy seems like a bit of a stretch to me; genes are like computer programs and the rest of our bodies(survival machines) are the computers. It's okay as an illustration, I suppose, but the argument could be better supported with more discussion on the origins of conscientiousness. Sounds like a great topic for me to explore in the latest neuroscience literature.
— Jun 12, 2014 05:01PM
Ok, so this chapter's analogy seems like a bit of a stretch to me; genes are like computer programs and the rest of our bodies(survival machines) are the computers. It's okay as an illustration, I suppose, but the argument could be better supported with more discussion on the origins of conscientiousness. Sounds like a great topic for me to explore in the latest neuroscience literature.
Kevin
is 16% done
Chapter 3:"Immortal Coils"
Dawkins writes that DNA (our immortal coils) is analogous to storing the entire plans for an extremely large building in each of that building's relatively tiny rooms. There are many technical genetics terms/concepts introduced in this chapter, and they are illustrated beautifully via this analogy. I might have understood genetic evolution much better had I read this book sooner.
— Jun 10, 2014 06:49AM
Dawkins writes that DNA (our immortal coils) is analogous to storing the entire plans for an extremely large building in each of that building's relatively tiny rooms. There are many technical genetics terms/concepts introduced in this chapter, and they are illustrated beautifully via this analogy. I might have understood genetic evolution much better had I read this book sooner.
