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Book Review: The Selfish Gene

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Manage episode 447171541 series 2788666
Content provided by Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne, Christopher Kavanagh, and Matthew Browne. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne, Christopher Kavanagh, and Matthew Browne or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

In this special international episode of Decoding the Gurus, Chris and Matt jump on the hottest online topic and devote an hour to reviewing Richard Dawkins' influential work from the 1970s, The Selfish Gene. This book influenced Matt and Chris when they were teenage decoders, but how does it hold up now that they have evolved into (quasi)adult forms?

Based on their rereading of the book they discuss its contribution to the public understanding of evolution, the academic and public controversies it sparked, and Dawkins' broader contributions to science communication and... the culture war. Consideration is given to the criticisms raised by figures like Stephen Jay Gould and Mary Midgley, the implications of seeing humans as meat machines constructed by genes, and what should be understood as the book's core message.

So join Chris and Matt as they confront their true nature as gene propagators but also argue that it is possible to simultaneously recognise the importance of human cultural & social development and our genetic & biological legacies.

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192 episodes

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Book Review: The Selfish Gene

Decoding the Gurus

2,371 subscribers

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Manage episode 447171541 series 2788666
Content provided by Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne, Christopher Kavanagh, and Matthew Browne. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne, Christopher Kavanagh, and Matthew Browne or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

In this special international episode of Decoding the Gurus, Chris and Matt jump on the hottest online topic and devote an hour to reviewing Richard Dawkins' influential work from the 1970s, The Selfish Gene. This book influenced Matt and Chris when they were teenage decoders, but how does it hold up now that they have evolved into (quasi)adult forms?

Based on their rereading of the book they discuss its contribution to the public understanding of evolution, the academic and public controversies it sparked, and Dawkins' broader contributions to science communication and... the culture war. Consideration is given to the criticisms raised by figures like Stephen Jay Gould and Mary Midgley, the implications of seeing humans as meat machines constructed by genes, and what should be understood as the book's core message.

So join Chris and Matt as they confront their true nature as gene propagators but also argue that it is possible to simultaneously recognise the importance of human cultural & social development and our genetic & biological legacies.

Links


  continue reading

192 episodes

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