The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin’s Legacy

The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin’s Legacy

Richard Dawkins’ brand of evolutionary theory – which says that natural selection acts at the level of genes, not organisms or species – now seems to dominate our understanding of what Darwinism is all about. His shoot-from-the-hip style of communicating science has also fuelled a growing but unproductive feud between science and religion. But does Dawkins give us the full picture? Does disagreeing with him necessarily make you anti-Darwin, or anti-science? Fern Elsdon-Baker explores the historical, philosophical and scientific arguments that are beginning to show the cracks in Dawkins’ thinking. Published in the year that celebrates the 150th anniversary of “On the Origin of Species”, “The Selfish Genius” argues that Dawkins’ way of seeing evolution – and indeed the world – is far from the only one possible, and that his popular image as the guardian of Darwinism in fact does it a disservice.

PDZ

Fern Elsdon-Baker – Icon Books Ltd