The Selfish Gene

After reading The Selfish Gene (actually just 2 chapters), I found out some interesting statements that are made throughout the book. According to Dawkins, the human is selfish. I wonder why the human is selfish, and where that argument comes from. He says that it is because of the genes, that make humans selfsh. He talks about DNA and how animals (ncluding humans) are conformed by genes that determine how they act and who they are.


I strongly disagree with that. I believe that the only thing that genes affect are the physical traits of one. Who someone becomes or who someone is depends on the environment that he or she is exposed to throughout their lives. That is why people change and take different decisions. You learn values throughout your life, that make you who you are. Your parents also affect a lot in how they raise you and what they teach you is wrong or right, since when you are very little you have not discovered many things yet. Genes only affect our body, and not our feelings.


A very impacting frase that he uses is: "They are in you and me; they created us... Now they go by the name of genes, and we are their survival machines". He is basically saying that genes control us, like if they weren't part of us, but as if we were their slaves. Like if they used us to survive but they are the ones that make you who you are and just use the body to represent themsleves. I still say that values are learned as time passes and that people change throughout their lives, depending on many factors like experiences, situations, people, environment exposement, etc. I believe that genes just make you physically, which of course affects in a way because that may decide if someone else likes your physical traits or not. BUt that is not the point right now, the point is that genes do not affect who you are and did not create us, I believe that God created us.


He of course, believes that the genes are our type of God, and that without them we would not exist. In a way it is true, but only to the extent that scientifically genes form our genetic material and define us. But genes are not the reason that we exist, I mean its not like they control us or that they can "think". They are just genetic traits that you inherit and that form your body up, but in the end it all depends on who you become depending on the environments you are exposed to and who you want to be. Also he talks about how humans are individualistic and don't think abut group benefit, only about individual benefit. And that genes are capable of using others to make one prosper, making us their survival machines as mentioned before. I just find that statement out of context, I think that it is a bit exagerated to think that all this has to do with one's genetic material. 


He says that everything about us have to do with genes, and I think that it is just crazy to think that. I mean, what about guilt, what about people going mentally crazy, what about something as "simple" as choosing religion and beliefs. That has nothing to do with genes. Has to do with character, personality, and morals.