Summary

Richard Dawkins explains in great detail the history of replicators and the process of evolution through natural selection. Evolution is selfish in that it is not about the survival of individuals and species but rather individual genes. Dawkins describes the ways in which genes increase selection in nature and provides ample evidence, both physical and behavioral, across life we see today. By analyzing the prisoner’s dilemma, reciprocal altruism dictates that “nice” strategies beat “greedy” strategies. Finally, Dawkins coins the term meme as a cultural gene that follows Darwinian evolution through brain structure and culture rather than DNA and the gene pool.

Key Takeaways

• Influence of memes will outlast genes - contribute to the world’s culture to maximize impact
  • Meme: a cultural gene that also follows Darwinian evolution through brain / culture vs DNA / gene pool
• Group vs individual selection: altruistic groups beat selfish groups, but selfish individuals beat altruistic ones
• Altruism based on perceived alikeness: genetic + memetic (value system, religion)
• Prisoner’s Dilemma: Best strategy is tit for two tats - only defect when wronged twice in a row
  • Reciprocal altruism: grudge-based cooperation is optimal evolution strategy
  • Generally “nice” strategies beat “greedy” ones as cooperation is ideal
  • However, dependent on other strategies so in second tournament plain tit-for-tat won
• Methods for proliferation: ESS, reciprocal altruism, kin selection / parental investment

“When we die there are two things we can leave behind us: genes and memes. Our genes may be immortal, but the collection of genes that is any one of us is bound to crumble away. We should not seek immortality in reproduction. But if you contribute to the world’s culture, you have a good idea, it may live on in tact long after your genes have dissolved in the common pool.”

Notes

1: Why are people

• Genes that have survived are selfish in a competitive evolutionary environment
• Altruism: behaving in a way to increase other’s welfare at the expense of its own
• Group vs individual selection: more altruistic groups beat selfish groups, but selfish individuals beat altruistic ones

2: The replicators

• Amino acid molecules form when primitive atoms are energized akin to start of life
• First replicator molecule would’ve spread quickly in absence of competition
• No replication is perfect and thus evolution begins (faster, more reliable, dominant)

3: Immortal coils

• Intro to DNA, genes, and heritability

4: The gene machine

• Natural selection: the differential survival of organisms
• Ways to increase human lifespan:
  • Reproduce at ↑ age (gene selection)
  • Make body “appear” younger
• Selfish gene: Tending to be perpetuated although of no effect on the phenotype
• Consciousness: arises when view of world is so complete is must include self

5: Aggression, stability, and the self machine

• Introduction to neurons and brains
• Computers are fundamentally serial (illusion of parallel) while brains are fundamentally parallel (illusion of series)
• ESS: evolutionarily stable strategy given by game theory
• Optimal strategy often doesn’t exist and is non-trivial (dove vs hawk)
• Random, reactive strategy almost always works best
• Evolutionarily beneficial trait leads to fluctuation before reaching new ESS

6: Genesmanship

• Selfish genes have the goal of proliferating among the population
• This can lead to altruism - helping others with the same gene
• Kin selection: more altruistic towards relatives based on likelihood of similar traits
  • Eg. maternal instinct
• Seems controversial in many ways

7: Family planning

• Why aren’t genes selected to maximize birth rate?
• Altruism, starvation, carrying capacity
• Can be incentive to reduce birth rate during high population rate (property)

8: Battle or the generations

• Parental investment (PI): an investment by the parent on an individual offspring to increase likelihood of reproduction at the cost of other potential offspring (units of detriment to other offspring)
• Genes that tend to make children cheat have an advantage in the gene pool

9: Battle of the sexes

• Males inherently superior due to unlimited offspring producing potential vs females
• Females are more valuable to the species while males are more expendable
• For either sex, evolutionary advantage in abandoning offspring as soon as viable
• Male sexual advertisement / evolved handicaps demonstrate health (thermometers)

10: You scratch my back, I’ll ride on yours

• Warning calls not altruistic in nature
• In some species, sisters are 2/3 related and thus more valuable than own offspring
• Mutualism: ESS symbiotic relationship between organisms
• Grudge-based cooperation is optimal evolution strategy (reciprocal altruism)

11: Memes: the new replicators

• Humans superior to other animals due to ability to rapidly evolve vast culture
• Evolution must be a universal fact of life across the universe
• Meme: cultural gene that also follows Darwinian evolution through brain structure
• “When we die there are two things we can leave behind us: genes and memes. Our genes may be immortal, but the collection of genes that is any one of us is bound to crumble away. We should not seek immortality in reproduction. But if you contribute to the world’s culture, you have a good idea, it may live on in tact long after your genes have dissolved in the common pool.”

12: Nice guys finish last

• Prisoner’s dilemma: two rational actors cooperate for best reward, Nash equilibrium to both defect though
• Best strategy: tit for 2 tats - only defect when wronged twice in a row
• Generally “nice” strategies beat “greedy” ones as cooperation is ideal - applies even when other strategies are known
• However, dependent on other strategies so in second tournament plain tit-for-tat won

13: The long reach of the gene

• Phenotype: physical effect of gene
• Gene mutations can apply in interactions outside of direct organism (mutualism)
• Cells cooperate and evolve together because reproduction, evolution method proceeds as a whole
• Much like how ants cooperate so much: hinges on queen ant’s ability to reproduce
• Bottleneck to single cell to allow for fresh start - more efficient evolution
• Replicators: Anything which replicates information - universal force of change in universe (organisms, culture, etc.)