Richard Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene has been around for awhile but I–being a poet-y English teacher type–have just gotten to read it (Summertime!). As I read it I was amazed by the feeling I got which is rare even in great fiction, the feeling of learrning something new and undergoing a real shift in how in how I see the world. The book outlines what exactly the theory of evolution is and isn’t and how our genes, acting as selfish replicators of themselves, affect outcomes in totally surprising ways. Of course, the repeated concept of ourselves as genetic replicating machines whose only purpose is to repeat those genes is humbling. Moreso is the idea that while our own impact on the world is minescule and gone within a 3 generations, these genes are–for all practical purposes–immortal. They can’t however enjoy a good milkshake or Simpsons episode, so we have that on the little microscopic gods. Finally, the chapter on memes–which is a common web topic–was fascinating unto itself and I need to think more about it as I think abut the concept could be used in classes.
