The Selfish Gene: 40th Anniversary edition (Oxford Landmark Science) — The gene machine

1. 1. Brains are functionally analogous to computers, performing data processing, pattern recognition, and data storage.
2. 2. Chess computers like Deep Thought have advanced to challenge grandmasters, with commentators using human-consciousness language to describe their play.
3. 3. Dawkins criticizes Fred Hoyle and C. Wickramasinghe for misrepresenting Darwinism as pure chance and for abusing their authority in astronomy to attack Darwin.
4. 4. Consciousness may arise when the brain's simulation of the world becomes so complete that it includes a model of itself.
5. 5. Daniel Dennett proposes that the brain's parallel hardware runs a serial virtual machine, creating the stream of consciousness.
6. 6. Nicholas Humphrey argues that social animals evolved an 'inner eye' for mind-reading, which works by self-inspection of one's own feelings.
7. 7. A gene 'for' altruistic behavior works by altering the timing of pre-existing behavior, such as parental care, not by creating entirely new behavior.
8. 8. Animal communication is best seen as manipulative, not informative or deceptive, as signals evolve to manipulate others' behavior.