Accounts Quote by Richard Dawkins

Selfish genes actually explain altruistic individuals, and to me that's crystal-clear.

— Richard Dawkins

“The gene is the basic unit of selfishness.”

— Richard Dawkins

I've always been antagonistic to any naïve application of the selfish gene theory to politics. Some people have attempted to suggest that it means…

— Richard Dawkins

Just as blueprints don't necessarily specify blue buildings, selfish genes don't necessarily specify selfish organisms. As we shall see, sometimes the most selfish thing…

— Steven Pinker

Of course we're all programmed genetically to some extent. But the "selfish gene" thesis doesn't explain everything.

— Jane Goodall

“there is a pressure for genes to be selfish, but in an enlightened way, to collaborate, coordinate, and play their small part in ensuring…

— Daniel Bor

Our minds have been built by selfish genes, but they have been built to be social, trustworthy and cooperative.

— Matt Ridley

“Relatives share a substantial proportion of their genes. Each selfish gene therefore has its loyalties divided between different bodies.”

— Richard Dawkins

A gene might be able to assist replicas of itself that are sitting in other bodies. If so, this would appear as individual altruism…

— Richard Dawkins

I think we all have a selfish gene which rises to the top, sometimes. But then we're also all capable of a sudden magnanimity.

— Jim Broadbent

“an iron rule exists in genetic social evolution. It is that selfish individuals beat altruistic individuals, while groups of altruists beat groups of selfish…

— Edward O. Wilson