concept
The Selfish Gene
Evolution's unit of self-interest โ the gene, not the individual or the species.
Origin
From Richard Dawkins's 1976 book of the same name. Dawkins argued that natural selection acts most clearly at the level of genes, which 'use' organisms as vehicles to copy themselves. The book is also where 'meme' was coined โ a cultural unit that replicates analogously.
Modern usage
Frequently invoked, often misread. The phrase has been mistaken for an argument that humans are inherently selfish โ which Dawkins explicitly rejected in the book itself.
Tags
evolution
dawkins
genes