In the book "The Selfish Gene," the author comes to a very startling conclusion about "what" we are...

Question

...based on facts we know about "Genetics," he points out that the major "ramification" of those facts is...

...We are simply "macroscopically" giant "cows" that are one of a billion different ways (all species of life on Earth) that the mindless microscopic little "copier" molecules inside us use to perpetuate themselves...(in other words...the mindlessly clever little copiers inside us are what "live forever..."

Not us...(we are simply "fascimiles" of our parents who only live for a hundred years...the gene structures inside us, however, have lived for millions of years...

Their "mindless" copy plan makes us "victims" of their mindless ability to "copy" themselves, with no regard to our "feelings" about the matter...thus the title "The Selfish Gene..."

Do you agree or disagree with this "ramification" of genetic facts...?

Answer 1

Thats brilliant. It's not necessarily a new thought, but it's an old one put into a new context. I like it a lot. I think there is some truth to that, maybe not all. We are facsimiles of our parents, and there is a common genetic code (copier) being passed down that does indeed live forever. (DNA) However, I take it a step further, and I think we (the whole planet) is microscopic and we are presumptious to think that we are the biggest thinking/creating animal slash life form. How do we know that we aren't in a petri dish right now being studied by some other giant thing looking at us? (And they, and the next, and so on.) It's a silly thought, but who knows. I am going to read that book though, thanks for getting me excited about the read! :)

Answer 2

The trouble with genetics is that if it isnt explained to people very very clearly, then people can easily misunderstand it...
evolution is actually quite a hard concept to deal with...

In my opinion, you can believe what Richard Dawkins believes about genetics... that we dont survive, but our genes continue to survive... and still believe that there is more to life than simply being a 'vessel' to carry our genes onto the next generation, so that the genes, alone, survive.

It is actually a fact that our genes survive, when we die (if we have had children)... it is also a fact that we are carriers of our genes... it is also a fact that evolution is blind... the genes do not know what they have made (us), but in order to survive, then they have to make a carrier of the genes (us) that is complex enough to survive this tough and rough world... the unsuccesful gene carriers die off (extinction) but humans are the most successful 'carriers' on this planet and have evolved into highly complex, highly successful and highly intelligent beings in order to be such successful survivors...

But the human race has now out-grown its genes...
instead of being manipulated by our genes, we can now manipulate our future evolution through medicine and genetic engineering, so we are now masters of our own destiny...
the next 50 to 100 years should show alot of development related to ways in which we are able to cure diseases, improve our abiltities, and enhance our minds and bodies.

Answer 3

Wow, so all my faults and weaknesses are actually not my responsibility to solve but I am the poor victim of a mindlessly clever little copier. The terrorists and murderers and evil people are just poor little victims of this super gene. This would replace a lot of soul searching. It is not our fault, we are just a macroscopically giant cow who can produce the art of Leonardo Da Vinci and write poems and stories like Shakespeare, compose music like a Mozart, can be loving like a Mother Theresa and inspiring like a Dalai Lama. Dalai Lama just another version of the big macroscopically super cow. Yes, sure if this guy thinks so.

Answer 4

If you believe in total evolution then the genes just don't matter. Therefore making us that proverbial cow. I however believe I was created by a much higher power that knew exactly what that DNA/gene is and what it's for. Science just hasn't figured it out yet.
No, I haven't read the book! Scripture tells us that all things made are good
Genesis chapter 1
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
So to me there is a reason for that gene, I just don't know what it is for and neither does anyone else.

Answer 5

Dawson is so fanatically atheist that he's as nutty as the fundamentalists that he attacks. I find it hard to take anything that he says seriously.

It's true that our genes outlive us, but as for inferring an intent to that - I believe he basically views our genes as using our bodies as a vessel for their own propagation - well, I'm not sure how molecules can have an intention...

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Do you agree, since you are the only you who matters to you?
yes I think it's an interesting theory, true but not the only truth out there.

Answer 8

It seems the book is interesting. Could you give again the title and author please my friend. I think there is a big possibility that it is true. Can't relate without reading the book itself. Good question you shared.

Answer 9

That's a physical concept... it has nothing to do with the soul. The soul, as far as we can tell, is not 'man-dated' [or cow dated] in the DNA.

Answer 10

Geesh! I would have sworn we were toads.... er.... frogs..... er.... chickens.... er.... lizards.....