> I recently set out on a quest to familiarise myself on at least an
> educated layman's level with various sciences, such as relativity,
> quantum physics, evolutionary biology, and so on. A short while ago, I
> read Dawkins's "The Selfish Gene", which I found eloquent, informative,
> and intuitively convincing -- in short, I'll buy it -- but as a
> scientist (although not a biologist), I keep my mind open to the
> possibility that it (and I) may be wrong.
>
> I gather that back in the 1970's, when "The Selfish Gene" was first
> published, it was rather controversial. Now, I am lead to understand
> that the gene-centric evolution theory is widely accepted. However, I
> should not blind myself to the fact that the sources I have come across
> -- as a reader of, and frequent "agreer" with, Richard Dawkins -- may
> be biased. As such I ask you, hopefully a representative cross-section
> of the evolutionary biology community, the question: Am I safe in
> regarding the gene-centric view laid out by Dawkins as a generally
> accepted theory; that I may, within the boundaries of empirical
> scientific uncertainty, regard as fact? Is there still controversy on
> this topic? Is there something I should read -- some layman-accessible
> literature that presents a reasonable, opposing viewpoint?