The Long Reach of the Gene

The Selfish Gene

P. 233-250

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......I really didn't understand much about the begginning and I thought as the chapter progressed Dawkins was scattered all over the place; the chapter had no winding thread that gave it fluency. For example I did not understand what point Dawkins was trying to make with the "t Gene" example, or the snail shell one. [How is it possible that having a harder shell is a detriment (to the genes of the snail) and not a quality of a snail? Doesn't a harder shell mean more survival for the genes and more future generations to carry those same genes?]

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.....This is what I understood: There have been cases when one gene that is good for the being is also a detriment to other genes. However, if a gene is good to the being then why does it matter if it's bad to other genes? I mean, it's doing the being good isn't it? Why should it be prevented? Maybe, it's better to sacrifice some other genes for the well-being of the whole community of genes. Survival of the fittest I guess; whichever gene has the upperhand, then that gene is the one that will survive. But isn't this kind of ironic? A being was made by genes that were struggling to survive, and found that the easiest way is by joining together in a community to form a gene machine. I guess that is the selfishness in the whole process. In reality, each gene is selfish in their own way: each gene is willing to do whatever it takes in order to insure their own survival.

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.......Was the Caddis example just meant to point out how we look at evolution as physical and genetical changes, but don't give importance to other developments such as customs and behavior? From a scientific point of view you probably perceive evolution as a very to the point thing, however, it has so many branches that are usually ignored. Evolution is looked upon as the man that used to crawl but learned to walk with time. The cultural and social aspect of it is usually left out. Evolution includes learning, education, mathematical improvements, arts, government and interpersonal relationship. Even if evolution includes all these other aspects, they are usually left out in the teaching of the term. But, after all, Dawkins is a scientist which means these are probably just assumptions.

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VOCABULARY (definitions taken from http://www.m-w.com/):

Phenotype: the observable properties of an organism that are produced by the interaction of the genotype and the environment

Genotype: all or part of the genetic constitution of an individual or group

Protozoan: any of a phylum or subkingdom (Protozoa) of chiefly motile and heterotrophic unicellular protists (as amoebas, trypanosomes, sporozoans, and paramecia) that are represented in almost every kind of habitat and include some pathogenic parasites of humans and domestic animals

Viroids: any of two families (Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae) of subviral particles that consist of a small single-stranded RNA arranged in a closed loop without a protein shell and that replicate in their host plants where they may or may not be pathogenic

Plasmids: an extrachromosomal ring of DNA especially of bacteria that replicates autonomously

RNA: any of various nucleic acids that contain ribose and uracil as structural components and are associated with the control of cellular chemical activities