Book Summary 5/8: The Selfish Gene By Richard Dawkins
Weekly Self-Education To Help Young Men Master All Areas Of Life & Become The Best Version Of Themselves.
Book Summary 5/8: The Selfish Gene By Richard Dawkins
Happy Money Monday Everyone!
Today’s book summary is on The Selfish Gene By Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist and an amazing author.
I consider this to be one of the 5 most important books that every human should read.
One million + people have read "The Selfish Gene" since Dawkins first wrote it in 1976.
It’s a VERY controversial book among other biologists and psychologists, but it’s very interesting nonetheless.
He had a noble goal in writing it.
Dawkins's purpose with The Selfish Gene was to examine the biology of selfishness and altruism.
The significance of this topic is evident beyond its academic value.
As it intersects with various facets of our social existence such as love, hate, conflict, collaboration, altruism, and selfishness, encompassing our tendencies to both give and take.
A part of me thinks Dawkins was right.
The question of selfishness vs unselfishness is probably at the core of every major decision we make as humans.
Who to marry, who to make friends with, who to protect, and who to ignore.
I believe that the primary reason for purchasing this book is Chapter 4, so I won't spend too much time discussing other sections.
However, I will say that it's important to maintain a balance between pursuing goals that benefit oneself and those that benefit others.
From my personal experience, I've discovered that solely pursuing unselfish goals can prevent me from tapping into certain primal motivations that exist deep within my brain.
In general, it's acceptable to have a desire for material possessions such as a fancy car or a bigger house, as well as selfish goals that primarily benefit oneself.
There’s nothing wrong with being selfish, but you have to have a balance.
It's essential to have a goal that strikes a balance between selfishness and unselfishness.
Speaking for myself, my sole selfish goal in life is to attain mastery in all aspects of my life, including health, wealth, love, and happiness.
On the other hand, my unselfish goal is to eventually participate in charitable work, with the specific aim of starting my own philanthropic foundation.
What are yours?
Leave a comment below if you would like to share!
Now, let's move on to what I consider to be the most critical section of this book.
Chapter 4 - The Gene Machine 🧬
Truly, I recommend purchasing this book solely for Chapter 4, as it contains all the information you need in just a few pages.
Pages 74 - 77 are 3 pages that WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
This is where Dawkins goes into survival mechanisms and how to simulate the future.
“One of the most interesting methods of predicting the future is simulation. Survival machines that can simulate the future are one jump ahead of survival machines who can only learn on the basis of overt trial and error. The trouble with overt trial is that it takes time and energy. The trouble with overt error is that it is often fatal. Simulation is both safer and faster.”
Pages 74 - 77
So what’s he saying?
The key is to transform into a simulation machine, rather than remaining a robotically programmed automaton.
As humans, we are the most adaptable creatures in the world, and that means we don’t have to go through something to experience the result.
Because of the IQ in our brains, we have the ability to simulate the future.
What makes us so adaptable as humans?
Our ability to learn from others, to copy, to imitate.
Knowledge builds on knowledge and Ideas on ideas.
I'm deeply invested in reading, books, and self-development, not as a mere hobby, but because of the value it brings to my life.
This is because I can save time and energy by learning from the experiences and insights of others instead of having to figure everything out on my own.
But of course, as long as you put what you read into action and do not let it remain as theoretical knowledge from a book.
Building knowledge is just as important as the application of knowledge.
This quote explains why we don’t have to make mistakes to actually learn the lesson.
You could listen, learn and simulate that result without actually having to do it yourself.
We no longer need to reinvent the wheel.
Every time we learn from the mistakes of others we become a survival machine.
We rise above the crowd.
We get a little bit closer to enlightenment.
Warren Buffet has a great quote on this subject:
“Humans only learn from mistakes. But they don't have to be your own”
Warren Buffet
Don’t ever listen to someone who says you should primarily learn from your own mistakes.
You don't need to go to outer space to learn that the world is round.
You don’t need to get hit by a bus to understand that it can kill you.
You don’t need to eat unhealthy for 5 years to learn it can cause heart disease and obesity.
You learned it from someone else's trial and error.
If we attempt to envision the future solely on our own, we will run out of time before we can achieve it.
It's better to follow in the footsteps of mentors and wise individuals who have already paved the way for us.
However, we should also strive to innovate and go beyond mere imitation.
But it’s a balance and the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.
Pablo Picasso famously said:
“Good artist copy, great artist steal”
Pablo Picasso
People have already done the hard work for you.
They’ve already figured out the answers for you.
So steal it from them!
Study the greats before you and use mentors to shave years off your learning curve.
You’ll make fewer mistakes by doing so!
What you want to do is make fewer mistakes than everyone else.
Why? Because mistakes can often be fatal.
Buy this book and reread pages 74-77 OFTEN!
Every time you want to be the hero and figure things out on your own, remember Dawkins saying…
Save yourself time, energy, and fatalities by simulating and learning from those ahead of you.
Stand on the shoulders of giants and you'll become one.
"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants”
Issac Newton
Final Thoughts:
Questions:
What is 1 area in your life that you need to simulate more and seek ideas and knowledge from others?
Comment your response below!
P.S. I post daily tweets on frameworks, guidelines, and overall great thought's I learn from mentors ahead of me.
Drop me a follow if you haven’t already, I would love to connect!
Recent Tweets:
Here’s something I can promise you…
When you commit to showing up, not just today or tomorrow, but day in day out, week after week, month after month…
With your workouts, sleep, business, relationships…
I promise that’s when you’ll start seeing the results you want.
5 best investment opportunities for GUARANTEED returns in 2023:
1. Yourself
2. Yourself
3. Yourself
4. Yourself
5. YourselfBONUS: Yourself
and don't forget, Yourself again.