> petter.haggholm@gmail.com wrote:
>

>> 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?
>>
>> I'm sorry to take up your time with such a non-technical question, but
>> I will nonetheless post this in the hope that you may think that
>> spreading the good word (and combating or preventing the spread of
>> misinformation) about evolutionary biology to an ignorant public may be
>> worthwhile. :-)
>>

>
> Start here:
>
> Gene-centered view of evolution
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolution
>
> See section 8: Challenges to the "Selfish Gene"

>
> Stephen J. Gould was the main critic of Dawkins' model of evolution.
>
> If you can find it, there's an excellent discusion of the pros and cons
> of the Dawkins gene-centric model in
>
> _Sex and Death_, Sterelny and Griffiths, in
>
> Chapter 3 The Gene's Eye View of Evolution
> Chapter 4 The Organism Strikes Back
> Chapter 5 The Developmental Systems Alternative
>
> Beware that some people on this newsgroup, especially the academicians,
> will attempt to feed you what Sterelny and Griffiths call, somewhat
> sarcastically, the "received view" in evolutionary biology. Do not
> swallow without chewing thoroughly. They will recommend only books that
> channel this view.
>
> And to really broaden your outlook, read
>
> _Evolution in Four Dimensions_ by Jablonka and Lamb
>
> Although the title makes this sound like a New Age book, it's quite well
> grounded in science, and is layman-accessible. The four dimensions are:
>
> 1. genetic
> 2. epigenetic
> 3. behavioral
> 4. symbolic (in humans only)
>
>
> --dkomo@cris.com
>
>
> "Back off, Man! I'm a SCIENTIST!" (tshirt slogan)