Richard Dawkins is a British scientist whose books on genetics and evolution have found a wide general readership. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Dawkins studied at Oxford, then taught at the University of California, Berkeley, before returning to Oxford as a fellow of New College. Richard Dawkins wrote The Selfish Gene, his first book, to make clear that adaptations in species do not occur for the good of the species as a whole. In his book, Dawkins describes the molecular gene as the fundamental unit of evolution. Through the study of animal behaviour, he explores numerous examples of natural selection. Like Williams, Dawkins shares a gene-centric view of evolution. Dawkins also extends Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by investigating the progression of individual genes. Evolution applies to organisms and their genes, and either view could have equal validity. However, viewing evolution through the perspective of the gene opens new possibilities. Since Darwin, biologists into the 20th century gradually developed the genetic perspective of evolution. However, Dawkins makes it more explicit, to place it at the core of evolutionary biology. Richard Dawkins defends his personification of genes as "selfish" by saying people will naturally understand that the DNA molecules of which genes are made are not conscious entities with the ability to be selfish or altruistic. He emphasizes that gene is the more important word in the title of his book. You can listen online to free English audiobook “The Selfish Gene” by Richard Dawkins on our website.
