Q&A: The Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene
Question
Hello Rabbi,
In your book Truth and Not Stable, I came across Dawkins's theory of the selfish gene in the context of altruism. If I remember correctly, it said there that helping strangers is a "blessed mistake." Could the Rabbi briefly summarize Dawkins's claim regarding altruism? I tried searching online for sources, including in English, that explain what exactly he argues, and I did not really find anything. 1) Why do parents sacrifice their lives for their children? 2) Why help relatives at the cost of my own life if there is no genetic identity between us? (Is this some kind of mutation that causes me to help?) 3) Why help other people in the same group as mine? 4) Why help complete strangers? Thank you very much.
Answer
You would have to address your question to Dawkins. I am not his spokesman. As far as I am concerned, there is no such thing as "should" in a materialist world, so the question has no meaning. If he claims there is, let him explain.