Programming Selfish Survival

Self-interest seems to be the engine for development in Richard Dawkins’, The Selfish Gene. In Chapters 5 and 6 Dawkins exposes his beliefs on the programming genes make for the development of their survival machine. He states that all genes can do “is set it up beforehand; then the survival machine is on its own, and the genes can only sit passively inside” (52). He makes it obvious why genes can’t control the body they are in, due to the extremely slow communication he compares to that our planet would have with a planet in Andromeda, 200 light years from Earth. The genes are left with no other option than to try to use likes and dislikes to guide us through our lives for their survival. As I read this section, I felt as if inside every particle of my body was an individualistic piece that is searching for survival in my well-being and reproduction. It is as if I was programmed to make a message survive, something not to be taken in the philosophical definition of a life statement or something of that nature, but truly a message to survive.

The purpose of genes, as I can see from Dawkins’ perception is to program another body that serves as a protective capsule to surpass the barriers of life and survive in the existence and reproduction of copies. This road to immortality genes pick, by creating copies of their message in future generations of the body that guarded the original gene in the body of his carrier, is similar to Gilgamesh’s way to perpetuate himself in the actions, the history of his decisions. The history the genes have to leave behind in order to become immortal is by definition a message that works for the survival of the body that has to reproduce in order to carry its descendant. If it is for the benefit of the gene’s survival he could make “a body more likely to save somebody from drowning than its allele would” (62). It will probably be more beneficial for the gene to drown the other individual unless it is one of his descendants. Through emotional appeals to certain events, genes are able to program the carrier’s life to make it the most beneficial for them.

Another idea that I found interesting in these chapters was Dawkins’ description of human interests in pacts that are beneficial for all. He states that even in “human pacts there is a constant danger that individuals will stand to gain so much in the short term by breaking the pact that the pressure will be overwhelming” (73). The author uses different subjects (specially genes and humans) to generalize interesting conclusions of selfish behavior. Through the chapter we see how Dawkins changes the subject of his conclusions from the genes to the human individuals in order for us to see examples and make us reflect on our daily life encounters with human dilemmas. Readers are guided to think that the self-interested motives for our actions are due to our nature, our genes, sharp promoters of selfish survival. It is interesting to meditate on the possibility that we are each one of us, the victorious end result of thousands of years of the most fascinating microscopic warfare. Yet, when one looks at the difficult state of affairs for the majority of human masses who suffer dire poverty, lack of basic necessities, and are vulnerable and suffer daily, one truly wonders who are these “winners”.