Selfish Genes and Abstract Elephants: The Misuse of a Metaphor

On The Very Idea - A Philosophy Podcast

In this first episode of a two part series on the battle between philosopher Mary Midgely and biologist Richard Dawkins, I look at the issue of whether genes can be selfish as per Dawkins' immensely popular book The Selfish Gene. In particular, I'm going to talk about Midgely's attack on Dawkins' ideas in the pages of the journal Philosophy in October 1979 and Dawkins' reply to her in the same journal in October 1981. It's quite a bit of philosophy nerd entertainment as things get heated and more than a bit informative as Midgely levels a series of sharp criticism at an idea that some people think has too much intellectual currency.