The Selfish Gene: 40th Anniversary edition (Oxford Landmark Science) — 1. Why are people?

1. 1. Darwin made it possible to give a sensible answer to why we exist, replacing superstition with evolution.
2. 2. The book examines the biology of selfishness and altruism, arguing that a successful gene is ruthlessly selfish.
3. 3. Universal love and the welfare of the species as a whole do not make evolutionary sense.
4. 4. Humans can learn altruism despite genetic selfishness, and culture plays a unique role in overriding genetic instructions.
5. 5. Altruism is defined behaviorally as increasing another's survival chances at the expense of one's own, regardless of motives.
6. 6. Examples of apparent altruism include worker bee stinging, bird alarm calls, and parental care, which are explained by gene selfishness.
7. 7. Group selection theory, which claims animals act for the good of the species, is erroneous and not supported by modern evolutionary biology.
8. 8. The fundamental unit of selection is the gene, not the species, group, or individual.