concept1976–present

Gene-Centred Evolution

Summary

A mid‑20th‑century shift that reframed natural selection as operating primarily on genes, offering a parsimonious lens for interpreting adaptation and conflict.

Core Contribution

It posits the gene as the principal replicator whose differential survival drives evolutionary change, thereby recasting organisms as temporary vehicles for gene propagation.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Selection at the level of replicators (Dawkins argues that genes, not organisms, are the primary units of natural selection, as articulated in The Selfish Gene, 1976).
Reduction of phenotypic traits to genetic instructions (The framework treats complex behaviors as direct expressions of underlying gene frequencies, exemplified by the gene‑centric explanation of altruism via inclusive fitness).

Historical Influences

Charles Darwin Ronald Fisher J.B.S. Haldane Sewall Wright Richard Dawkins

Intellectual Lineage

Modern Synthesis Population genetics Theoretical biology Evolutionary theory

Allied Works

Selfish Gene Meme Inclusive fitness

Contemporaries & Peers

Selfish Gene concept Meme concept Inclusive fitness concept Kin selection concept Extended phenotype concept Group selection concept

Minds Influenced

David Haig E. O. Wilson Steven Pinker Leda Cosmides and John Tooby Memetics movement Evolutionary psychology

Intellectual Posterity

Selfish Gene framework Memetics Evolutionary psychology Inclusive fitness theory Extended phenotype concept

Discussing

Gene-Centred Evolution

Ask anything about Gene-Centred Evolution — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.

concept1976–present

Gene-Centred Evolution

Summary

A mid‑20th‑century shift that reframed natural selection as operating primarily on genes, offering a parsimonious lens for interpreting adaptation and conflict.

Core Contribution

It posits the gene as the principal replicator whose differential survival drives evolutionary change, thereby recasting organisms as temporary vehicles for gene propagation.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Selection at the level of replicators (Dawkins argues that genes, not organisms, are the primary units of natural selection, as articulated in The Selfish Gene, 1976).
Reduction of phenotypic traits to genetic instructions (The framework treats complex behaviors as direct expressions of underlying gene frequencies, exemplified by the gene‑centric explanation of altruism via inclusive fitness).

Historical Influences

Charles Darwin Ronald Fisher J.B.S. Haldane Sewall Wright Richard Dawkins

Intellectual Lineage

Modern Synthesis Population genetics Theoretical biology Evolutionary theory

Allied Works

Selfish Gene Meme Inclusive fitness

Contemporaries & Peers

Selfish Gene concept Meme concept Inclusive fitness concept Kin selection concept Extended phenotype concept Group selection concept

Minds Influenced

David Haig E. O. Wilson Steven Pinker Leda Cosmides and John Tooby Memetics movement Evolutionary psychology

Intellectual Posterity

Selfish Gene framework Memetics Evolutionary psychology Inclusive fitness theory Extended phenotype concept

Discussing

Gene-Centred Evolution

Ask anything about Gene-Centred Evolution — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.