The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution

Michael Ruse, The Quarterly Review of Biology It deserves a wide readership beyond the community of professional evolutionists. If I were offering a course on the philosophy of biology, my required textbooks would be Darwin's On the Origin of Species and gren's most valuable survey.

Evolution This is the first time a conceptually and historically complete book on the subject has been published. It definitely merits reading and careful study by anyone interested in grand questions of evolutionary theory.

Areo I hope that his fascinating book is read widely; it is unmissable for anyone interested in evolutionand in life itself.

Chemistry and Industry Even though gren is an avid supporter of the gene's-eye view of evolution, his coverage of the topic remains commendably unbiased throughout.

Tobias Uller, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden Science needs ingenious points-of-view that help us understand the world. Few perspectives are more famous or notorious than that of the selfish gene. Merging biology and history of science, gren unravels its origins, explains why it is useful, and when its utility has been overstretched. Whether you're a fan or a critic, this is an essential guide to the gene's eye view.

Richard Dawkins 'Arvid gren has undertaken the most meticulously thorough reading of the relevant literature that I have ever encountered, deploying an intelligent understanding to pull it into a coherent story. As if that wasn't enough, he gets it right.'

Samir Okasha, Professor of Philosophy of Science, University of Bristol, UK 'Since its inception in the 1970s, the "gene's eye view of evolution" has been a controversial idea in evolutionary biology. In this lucid and scholarly book, Arvid gren provides a masterful treatment of the intricate and often confusing debates over the value and limitations of the gene's eye view. I highly recommend his book to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of this important issue.'

Andrew Bourke, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, University of East Anglia, UK 'The idea of the selfish gene revolutionised evolutionary thinking and led to many new insights. But from the outset it received strong criticism, not all of it baseless. In the first dedicated book on the idea since it was proposed, Arvid gren expertly explores the power and nuances of the selfish gene concept. At times taking sides, at others leaving history to decide, he is always perceptive, scholarly, balanced and good natured. Interwoven with asides on the principal players, this fine book succeeds in being both enlightening and engaging.'

Hanna Kokko, Professor, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland 'Somewhat like evolution itself, argumentation in evolutionary biology has proceeded along one path in a sea of possibilities. The past and present players all have their own backgro...

J. Arvid Agren is a Wenner-Gren Fellow at the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, USA. His research focuses on genomic conflicts and he has published widely on their biology and implications for evolutionary theory.

Preface Introduction: A New Way to Read Nature 1: Historical Origins 2: Defining and Refining Selfish Genes 3: Difficulties of the Theory 4: Inclusive Fitness and Hamilton's Rule 5: Empirical Implications Conclusion: The Gene's-Eye View Today