Undefined Questioning

As I begin reading The Selfish Gene a connection in my mind is immediately made. Dawkins is suggesting a totally depressing state of life. Many pieces of literature try to state the meaning of life, unsuccessfully. I believe the answer to this question lies in each individual. There are many theories about why human beings were created and I have heard many of them. Religion is one of the strongest reasons of being that we use today but our rational mind is taking over. As Dawkins proposes that “they created us, body and mind; and their preservation is the ultimate rationale for our existence (20).” I was completely surprised. This theory is completely depressing. If it is true, I now understand the purpose of religion. To live knowing that we are useless, except to harvest the “selfish gene”, this thought will destroy the species. The author clearly states that we are an intelligent race, and if we know that we are living in order act as machines then we are no longer acting as machines. Maybe our original purpose was to serve as a tool but as we evolve that purpose has now changed.

The first impression I have of this book is a good one. The author is clear in his writing but he is also very bold. As an inexperienced reader, I find it amazing that he will go out and say “The trouble with these books is that their authors got it totally and utterly wrong” (2). The authors he is criticizing will say the same thing about him. What difference would it have made to the reader if Dawkins mentions that those authors are wrong. After I continued reading I realized that his theory is so radical that if he criticized the other authors he would receive attention. A theory that might otherwise be disregarded as fiction, when compared to serious works can receive certain validity. As new theories are unveiled and we move away from belief and into rationality, more questions grow. The need to answer these questions has to be met and by reading this book we are.