Darwin showed us that life evolves through natural selection. But something always bothered Richard Dawkins: What exactly was being selected? Everyone talked about the “survival of the fittest,” but fittest what?
The simple insight is that it’s not really about individual organisms at all. It’s about genes.
Think of it this way: Your body is temporary. So is a lion’s body, or an oak tree’s. But the genes inside us? They’re potentially immortal. A gene that helps its carrier survive and reproduce makes copies of itself in the next generation. A gene that doesn’t, disappears. It’s that simple.
This shift in perspective changes everything. Take altruism – why would an animal risk its life to save others? It made no sense in traditional Darwinian terms. But from the gene’s view, it’s clear: If a gene makes an animal protect its relatives (who likely carry copies of the same gene), that gene spreads. The animal might die, but its genes live on through family members.
Dawkins called these genes “selfish” not because they have emotions, but because they act as if they do. They’re like invisible players in a game of survival, using our bodies as temporary vehicles to make more copies of themselves. A male peacock’s ridiculous tail? That’s genes “wanting” to be chosen by females. A mother’s devotion to her child? That’s genes “ensuring” their copies survive.
This idea explains much that puzzled Darwin. Why do worker bees give up reproduction to serve their queen? Because they share more genes with their sisters than they would with their own offspring. Why do parents invest differently in sons and daughters? Because genes “calculate” their odds of reaching the next generation.
Some people find this view cold, seeing us as mere puppets of our genes. Dawkins sees the opposite. Understanding the game our genes play lets us transcend our selfish replicators. They may have built our brains, but they can’t control how we use them.
That’s what Dawkins discovered: not just a new way to look at evolution, but a deeper understanding of what makes us human. We can acknowledge our genetic programming while transcending it.
As he likes to say—we alone can rebel against the tyranny of our selfish genes.