"The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins

Last weekend I have visit the library in order to find some interesting book and I found this one:Sorry for the Italian... the original book's title is "The selfish gene" and it has been written by Richard Dawkins. Before starting reading the book I have never heard about Dawkins but now I have read this book I'm definitely along with his thoughts.

Dawkins makes a very crude analysis of the nature of the genes and describes them as a 'replicators' which build biological organisms (e.g. humans) and use them as vehicle for survival. The book wants to show how all the theoryies about group selection can be explaned stating the egoistic nature of genes.

Of course, Dawkins is a man of science, and he uses founded mathematical theories in order to explain his concepts, one of the more interesting (in my opinion) is the definition of the John Maynard Smith's evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS). A ESS can be established in groups of the same or different species and it is possible (mathematically) to demonstrate (and explain) how an equilibrium among species can be achieved just stating that each animal ALWAYS makes the best choice for himself (and not for the group).

So in conclusion, a very interesting book which wants to explain our origins! ...and if you don't believe in me... here you are the words of a BIG of computer science: Bjarne Stroustrup :)

[...] I was about to refresh my Knuth, but someone has absconded with my volume III, so that'll have to wait. For pleasure, I'm rereading a bit of O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin series. I'm trying to refresh my understanding of science, so currently just coming off a Richard Dawkins binge. [...] full interview here

Bye!