The Gene Evolution and Knowledge Evolution

I browsed through the new book shelf in my local public library and picked a book -- Richard Dawkins's "The Selfish Gene". I am currently half way through the book.

The book basicaly says that evolution is on the individual gene level, rather on the species level. The gene is in fact "immortal" via the way of replication, and the long path of evolution is essentially a survival competition of individual genes. Say there is two genes, one gives you blue eyes and one gives you green eyes. They are deadly competing with each other since one would have either blue eyes or green eyes. If always the green-eye gene get replicated at higher probablity, the blue eye gene will quickly reduce its "population" to extinction, at which point, the "immortal" gene "dies".

We, human, at the end of evolution path, did not win the evolution by beating other species. In fact, some of the genes in our dna is likely the exact gene exists at the very beginning of life. Those genes suvives the evolution and keeps "living".

The book is celebrating its 30 years anniversary and I wish I had picked up this book sooner.

I agree with the book's view. So apparently there is a will of the genes, and the will of the gene is selfish. The gene doesn't care the survival of your other species member. The survival of other species member that carries the competing genes are in fact, lowers the survivalship of this gene iteself. Interesting.

Now I think about it, apparently, we, human species, created a new era of biology evolution. Before human, genes essentially dictates the behaviors, life patterns, most aspects of the animal body -- gene's survival machine. Try this thought experiment: given two group of baby animals, one group grows with their parents and their elder societies, and the other group was raised up on their own. If they eventually were live in a very similar environment, they would pretty much live their life, mate and raise their second generation about the same way, and it may be difficult to tell two animals apart that which was grown with their parents and which was not. If that is so, then the genes pretty much determins every thing.

Now the remarkable new phoenomena for human is, we created languages and created way of documenting ideas. So given two babies, one grown up in one culture (say African Tribe), and the other one grown up in another very difficult culture (say American Family), they will have a quite different life patterns, even if they are facing the same environment. If that is so, then we human, creates another line of evolution besides the gene evolution, the evolution of knowledge and philosophy. I think this evolution is often called civilization.

In this new era, genes only has so much role to play. As long a body built by the genes have the capability to grasp the new knowledge and have the ability to explore new knowledge at a favorable rate, this gene will survive. Now the evolution of knowledges will take over the path of gene evolution, and start controling the major part of our life pattern.

Birth contronl, for example, there is no way in gene evolution can reach a state that the body want to limit its own replication oppotunity and thus increasing the rivals suvivalships. But knowledge will achieve this. When the idea of limiting births become as established knowledge as 1+1=2, people will do that. Since this knowldege is irrelavant to which exact genes one is holding as long as the gene as a whole is capable grasping the knowledge and implement the knowledge, this knowledge evolves.

There is no way the evolution of our genes can stop the global warming before we go over the cliff, but our knowledge evolution will make that happen. Have that faith! :)