The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin's Legacy by Fern Elsdon-Baker
The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin's Legacy by Fern Elsdon-Baker
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Monday, 03, Aug 2009 10:28
Published by Icon Books Ltd, out now, paperback only, 240 pp, £8.99.
In a nutshell...
Thorough. Enlightening. Impartial. Apathetic. Unfocused.
What's it all about?
The Selfish Genius is best described by its subtitle; How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin's Legacy, with Fern Elsdon-Baker attempting to put Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory back on an even footing after a supposed swamping from Dawkins' theories.
Touching upon the history of evolutionary theory, Elsdon-Baker brings the debate to Richard Dawkins' neo-Darwinism; he argues that genes drive natural selection, rather than individuals. Instead of presenting her own theory, Elsdon-Baker further takes issue with Dawkins' use of Darwin to support atheism, as well as his use of advocacy to impress arguments upon his readers.
Who's it by?
Fern Elsdon-Baker holds a PhD in the history and philosophy of evolutionary theory after originally studying Environmental Sciences. Now a member of the British Society for the History of Science, she became head of the British Council's Darwin Now International Project in 2008.
As a pro-science atheist Elsdon-Baker has much in common with Dawkins, which puts her in the perfect position to tackle his dogma.
As an example...
"It is my belief that Dawkins has effectively hijacked Darwin and distorted his legacy to champion an inflexible approach that gives the public a very one-sided view of what's really going on in evolutionary science."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
A scientific book like this could only hope to be made into a TV documentary and that would very much depend on the presentation skills of Elsdon-Baker herself. The book's title, which she claims is only to attract attention, could very well create a stir to rival Dawkins' books, but there's something less exciting about Elsdon-Baker's way with words than Dawkins - she would most likely take this as a compliment - that'll see the book become more of a reference text than a popular hit.
What the others say
"This is much more than a book on Dawkins, it's a good way to get a better understanding of the position of science in society and how Dawkins' approach to enhancing the public understanding of science can be counter-productive. Thought provoking and engaging reading." - Brian Clegg of PopularScience.co.uk
"Elsdon-Baker rightly laments the way Dawkins has been allowed to dictate the tenor of the debate between science and religion, but her format makes it hard to avoid letting the same thing happen here." - Philip Ball, Sunday Times
So is it any good?
Scientist and philosopher Richard Dawkins has captured the public's attention via his arguments against religion, but many might have forgotten his original claim to fame. In 1976 Dawkins latched upon the then-current knowledge of gene selection and conjoined it with evolutionary theory, creating a landmark science book titled The Selfish Gene. It had a simple premise; genes drive natural selection, not individuals or groups.
Elsdon-Baker does an excellent job of trawling through the history of evolutionary theory and presents it in a clear and concise manner, where many misconceptions are corrected. It's not terribly clear as to why much of this history is relevant to her attack on Dawkins, but it's certainly enlightening information.
Her argument that Dawkins' theories aren't really 'pure' Darwinism is a little off the point, since Dawkins is attempting to apply natural selection to his own theory of evolution. Though Dawkins' statement that his theory is what 'Darwin really meant' is indeed inaccurate, this embellishment should be overlooked to tackle Dawkins' actual arguments.
The book's tangent into religion seems slightly inconsequential to her case against Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, even if his interests are eclectic. It could be Elsdon-Baker's goal to demean Dawkins' previous arguments by bringing up his controversial barking on atheism, but that does little for her cause against his neo-Darwinism. She is right to point out that a combination of science and philosophy can become muddled, but Dawkins' religious taunts should surely be distinct from his theory on gene selection.
Moreover, Elsdon-Baker comes across as apologetic to the religious. Though she argues convincingly that a deist notion of God can allow evolutionary theory and religion to live in harmony, her only goal appears to be the protection of Darwin's legacy from the vigour and 'beliefs' of Dawkins. However, there's no room for historical figures in the realms of scientific or philosophical ideas, so there should be nothing wrong with Dawkins applying evolutionary theory to his arguments on atheism, regardless if he supposedly damages a relationship between Darwin and religion.
This brings us to Elsdon-Baker's views on Dawkins use of advocacy in his work. The confidence with which Dawkins uses language to persuade his readers could very well be seen as a contentious methodology in science, where an unbiased head should be led by empirical evidence.
However, when this evidence is lacking, science enters the realm of philosophy and here, sitting on the fence is very much frowned upon. Advocating your point of view with logical argument is not only enthralling, it also ensures a theory is fully developed in order to present the most convincing case.
Elsdon-Baker does point out that Dawkins can have a tendency to ignore new challenging research and he furthermore shoots down critics with such furore that his façade can become fundamentalist and his theory dogmatic.
This is Elsdon-Baker's most convincing case against Dawkins, especially when she mounts modern research to contradict his ideas. It's just a shame that she can't build upon this to present a theory of her own.
It's arguably also the lack of 'advocacy' in this book that creates an impression that Elsdon-Baker is trying too hard to appear neutral, with repetitions of her respect for all ideas pummelling the reader into apathy. So although the book may boast to frame Dawkins as an outdated figurehead that used popular science to violently silence any evolutionary narrative that wasn't his own, The Selfish Genius doesn't come across anywhere near as compelling.
6.5/10
Patrick Steen