Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are all born selfish
- Richard Dawkins
As 2024 approaches its end, I finished the last book of the year — The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins — the 9th book I read this year. This book has been sitting on my reading list for a while, and I only decided to prioritise it as it came highly recommended by Pulak Prasad, the author of What I Learned About Investing from Darwin, one of the greatest investing book I ever read. Dawkins’ work turned out to be as a perfect segue into the world of genetics and evolutionary theory.
Before commenting on this book, I must admit that I probably comprehend perhaps only 60% of the book, primarily because of my limited vocabulary in science. Nevertheless, I would like to share some thoughts after the first read. My partial understanding by no mean indicates the book is written in an academic way; rather, Dawkins makes it very accessible and enjoyable to read by providing vivid analogies throughout the book.
The selfish gene explains behaviour and evolution from a fresh perspective. Many phenomena, such as why sexual reproduction exists and why kinship matters, are things I had accepted as facts without ever questioning. Dawkins provides compelling explanations for them. Clearly, I need to try to challenge assumptions and cultivate curiosity about the origins of things. I was particularly struck by the idea that seemingly altruistic behaviours in nature are actually strategic efforts by living organisms to ensure their genes persist in the gene pool. For example, Dawkins uses the case of worker bees sacrificing themselves for their colony to illustrate this point. What appears selfless is actually a calculated strategy to promote the survival of the queen’s genes, which the worker bees share. Similarly, the concepts of evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS), such as those demonstrated in the Hawk-Dove game, and phenotypic effects, like cooperation in certain species such as vampire bats, are fascinating. It is not hard to see how these principles apply to humans as well—our collaboration and emphasis on kinship can be understood as ways to increase the chances of passing on shared genes. In natural selection, traits like gratitude, which foster cooperation and reciprocity, are likely to be favoured.
One of the most thought-provoking ideas in the book is the analogy Dawkins makes between genetic evolution and cultural evolution through the concept of “memes”—ideas, fashions, and behaviours that replicate and spread in human societies much like genes. Indeed how patterns of replication and selection operate not only in biology but also in culture. As someone who enjoys identifying fundamental patterns across disciplines, it resonated deeply with me. Dawkins’ discussion of game theory and its application in nature is equally fascinating. For example, the strategy Tit for Tat in repeated interactions often generates the best outcomes, balancing cooperation and retaliation. This reminded me of the parallels in investing strategies: in a complex world, simple and “stupidest” approaches, like passive investing, mostly if not always outperform active investment strategies. Just as the market dictates outcomes in investing, evolutionary forces determine success in nature. The invisible hand governs both arenas, and no one can outcompete it entirely.
The selfish gene is another book that taught me fundamental and reshaped how I view the world. A second read is indeed necessary to grasp all the brilliance I missed the first time. Now, whenever I look at problems or situations, I can’t help but think from the perspective of a gene, “Would this increase the survival of the selfish gene?”