The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin's

This study by a philosopher of evolutionary theory enables the general reader to understand more about the history of evolution, the nature of neo-Darwinism and the scientific disagreements within the field in relation to Richard Dawkins's position. The author writes as a fellow scientist from a secular background, and whose main contention is that the public understanding of evolutionary theory has been overly influenced by Dawkins's work, and that there are other competing explanations, for instance from Stephen Jay Gould. Within the context of the Network, Brian Goodwin's main argument was against the narrowness of the Dawkins selfish gene, contending that the organism had been forgotten and that a science of qualities was necessary to counterbalance the emphasis on quantity. The strength of the book is in enabling the general reader to understand the wider scientific context of the debate and the sterility of a stand-off between science and religion. It was surprising that the publishers did not see fit to provide an index; indeed, there are only references within the notes rather than a separate bibliography.