The Selfish Gene

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.

In his internationally best-selling, now classic, volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk.

©1989 Richard Dawkins (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Dawkins first book, The Selfish Gene, was a smash hit.... Best of all, Dawkins laid out this biology - some of it truly subtle - in stunningly lucid prose. (It is, in my view, the best work of popular science ever written.)" (H. Allen Orr, Professor of Biology, University of Rochester, in The New York Review of Books)

Well written, a must read

A great performance from both readers, you dont have to have a background in biology to understand this book. Should be a compulsory read in every school

When theory stands up to science

I'm a huge Dawkins fan and decided to give this book a shot. I love that a lot of his original theories stand up to science now. When new science presents itself, he acknowledges it in this edition.

Truth is stranger than fiction

Truth is stranger than fiction. Stories of parasitic infanticide cuckoos, ranching ants milking their aphids, imperial assassinations of ant kingdoms by rival ants, and drug dealing caterpillars with their minions of ant body guards are some of the strange but true tails in this first work from Dawkins. Dawkins takes Rand's social selfish philosophy to the gene level to build on Darwin's theory to show how genes fighting selfishly for the perpetuation of their lineage leads to altruistic betterment. Makes the argument of the insect collective acting as the human symbiotic system. Chapters added in this new edition build on the selfish gene theory to show how game theory such as the prisoners dilemma is relevant as well. Very interesting insight that he expands in his later works throughout this work.

Interesting

This was a very interesting read. I thought there was a lot of unnecessary redundancy but otherwise very informative and cool.

An interesting read

The science is very intesting although the social references are certainly dated.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

A Must Read

Few ideas are as important for modern readers to understand as evolution and the selfish Gene.

So good

What an amazing book, so glad I bought it. Great narration. Bravo Dawkins. Great job. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Good book

I liked it, explains some concepts that I couldn't grasp in an understandable way. It's good.

Fascinating and thought-provoking

I picked up this audiobook because it had recently read a couple of things about it on the Internet, and then it turned up as a Daily Deal here on Audible; very glad I did!

I didn't have any special knowledge or interest in evolution before this title, and only a casual knowledge of the author, Richard Dawkins.

Dawkins is clear, precise and extremely painstaking, both in laying out his original arguments, but also in updating this 30th Anniversary edition with end notes that deal directly with misunderstandings of the selfish gene theory while adding newly discovered stories that support and illustrate his arguments.

I do feel like this is the sort of work that needs a second or third listen to fully absorb the ideas and the implications, especially so if you come in with no special interest or background as I did. That being said, this is an outstanding scientific book written in a way that any one can enjoy and benefit from.

The reading performance is handled by Dawkins and a female, which serves to help set off certain aspects of the text by switching readers. It works quite effectively. The production is just fine, audio is clear and crisp.

Dawkins seems to have considered and debated many fine minds on the theories and explanations he lays out, and I often found myself wanting to sit down with him and question him further as well as offer him some of my own thoughts that his ideas gave rise to - what a great effect for a book to have!

Highly recommended, and don't let the idea that this work might be "too stuffy" or "too science-y" turn you off. Yes, it is a bit of an academic topic, but the insight and understanding goes well beyond a simple textbook.

A wonderful listen

Any additional comments?

I have been a follower of Richard Dawkins as an atheist crusader; this is my first try at one of his popular science books. I really enjoyed the listen. The production was well done. The 30th anniversary edition felt modern. The way Richard and Lalla went back and forth was pleasantly balanced.