Books The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - One of the most important books of my life
The Selfish Gene is quite simply one the most influential books I have ever read. Humanity owes Dawkins a lot. I wish someone suggested it to me when I was 18 or something. I reccomend the 30th anniversary edition, with the new introduction, final chapter and notes.

---

Rating: - Some good ideas in the construction of the book
Dawkins uses a very interesting strategy that I've not seen before in trimming down a book that could be a little too long: Putting a lot of statements that would have worked just fine as endnotes as endnotes. This has cut a lot of fat out of the book and made a very dense topic a lot more approachable.

In trying to make the text approachable, he has also not used a single equation in the whole text-- even though he could have saved a lot of space by simply taking the route of using an equation. There would not have been much diminshment.

Lastly, he gives a balanced presentation by including the contrary arguments of some researchers in the field and by rebutting/ addressing those points (rather just neglecting to mention them). This is done in such a way that it is neither too abstruse nor a dismissal out of hand.

Making a 250 plus page text on the whether natural selection takes place at the genotypic level or the phenotypic level is a Herculean (and laudable) task in and of itself. This book is well worth the read.

---

Rating: - Poorly researched
This book was very revolutionary when it was released. I can understand why--the prose is lucid, the ideas are presented in uncomplicated ways, and Dawkins panders to the reader's ego. However, there are major problems with the ways he presents information. While Dawkins gives an accurate description of evolutionary biology and comes up with the stellar idea of memes, the rest of the book is speculative and poorly-researched. Dawkins relies on pre-set ideas and notions that the reader(and Dawkins himself) might have to present difficult ideas. Some points of contention: Dawkins' ideas of women and men, Dawkins' ideas of animals, Dawkins presenting genes as 'selfish' and then believing that a short forward will help correct the misinformation, Dawkins' personal and dogmatic ideas that have no scientific backing whatsoever.

This book should really be presented as Aristotle is: history preserved, a stepping stone to the path of truth.

---

Rating: - Excellent overview of evolution
Scholars pro-evolution can generally be divided into 1) those who believe in evolution at the group level (ie: The reason lions behave in a particular way is because they want to survive as a species) or 2) those who believe in evolution at an individual level (ie: The reason a particular bird behaves in a particular way is because he wants to survive as an individual bird). Dawkins' views are closer to the latter. In fact, he takes it a step further and argues for evolution at the gene level. I think he makes a very convincing case for his views. Of course nothing is certain (except uncertainty perhaps) so he does not prove his theory definitively.

The book can be hard to read at times and may be a bit slow for those with no background in biology or science. Nevertheless I think anyone with patience can read, enjoy and learn from this important book.

No matter what your views this is a very educational and important book. Highly recommended.