The Bowler Hat

The Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins


Immortal Coils


         "They are in you and in me; they created us, body and mind; and their preservation is the ultimate rationale for our existence. They have come a long way, those replicators. Now they go by the name of genes, and we are their survival machines." (pg.20)

          The human is selfish. Why is the human selfish? According to Dawkins, its because all animals are conformed of genes. Genetic codes, otherwise known as DNA, form our minds and bodies. These minuscular anatomies of proteins and nucleotides and bases, are what has brought the survival of man. Genetics and evolution created the world and all in it. We are genes, and genes are us, within Dawkins perspective. 

          
         The human race is known to be competitive, greedy, and vain. We manipulate others and find pleasure in gaining power. Can we blame all of these flaws on a complex chemical trait: the gene? Are we capable of using our animal instincts as an excuse for all of our mistakes? However, can genes take credit for all of our accomplishments? When humans built the first rocket or the Wall of China, was this due to the evolving gene within us? 

        


     Spiritual leaders such as Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr, Dalai Lama, and so on, prove that humans, despite other animals, can fight against the selfish traits of the gene.  Dawkins does not believe in G-d, but that the gene is our creator and we are the hosts of it in our bodies. (Many agnostic relgions believe that we have G-d inside us-this is the same as the gene.) Does this mean we are utterly controlled by these cells? Do we create our view of the world? Are our actions, our actions? Or, are these simply illusions created by the gene?

       Humans who are agnostic and believe in free will, live in a more liberated mentality than those who are atheist and believe humans are nothing but a pool of genes. While agnostic people aim to evolve into a purer being during the coarse of their life, “gene believers” are doomed live by design. (Picture on the left is a Sims Game)

     


        This idea reminds me of the Walt Disney movie “Meet the Robinsons” and the bowler hat. Those who wore it would become hypnotized by it. The hat did not have good intentions, and had a mind of its own. Genes are like the bowler hat. Those who wear it (humans who believe they are created by genes) will never discover that the genes are defining the person they are becoming. These people will accomplish the hat’s desires (animal instincts= selfishness).  

     
      Genes are not what defines the human being. They might have a powerful influence on us and other animals, but they will never be our entire person. Genes cannot make one feel love. Genes may lead us to undergo attraction, but they will never produce sympathy or sadness. We can define genes as builders and managers of our body, but never of our hearts.