Brian Dawkins

programmed to preserve selfish molecules known as genes." -- Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (1). Can genes alone determine your DNA's place in the next generation? Are humans simply vessels for these genes? With his provoking work entitled The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins attempts to answer such questions as he proposes a shift in the evolutionary paradigm. Working through the metaphor of a "selfish gene", Dawkins constructs an evolutionary model using a gene as the fundamental unit

The evolution theory, one of the most significant theories, laid groundwork for the study of modern biological science. This theory has lead scientists into unending debates due to lack of empirical supports. Until the mid-eighteenth century, when Charles Darwin came up with an explanation to evolution, scientists, then, began to endorse this hypothesis. In “Natural Selection,” Darwin explains the natural selection, a plausible mechanism that causes evolution, to gain approval of his cynical audience

Introduction The subject of altruism has a long history of contention amongst academic researchers and religious scholars alike. The term itself originated in the 19th century, first coined by French philosopher, Auguste Comte. Since then however, there have been many different theories and evaluations regarding altruism. David Sloan Wilson, a distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University, has attempted to provide a new insight into this topic, using his

Charles Darwin is famous for his theories regarding evolution and natural selection. In his 1871 book, Charles Darwin explains the origin of morality through studying the behavior of various species. In his essay, “Origin of the Moral Sense” Charles Darwin uses his theory of evolution to explain the origin of morality through the study of animals, specifically mammals. Darwin’s main theory of the “Origin of the Moral Sense” is that humans have natural social instincts which in turn gives them a sense

Response Paper on H.J. McCloskey article On being an atheist Name Course Date During the year 1968, an atheist philosopher H.J. McCloskey came up with a powerful argument about how being an atheist was greater than the theistic way of life. Through this article, McCloskey finds a way to condemn numerous arguments which theist consider as true and in most cases seem to mock and impeach the believers of God. Some of the arguments that McCloskey tries to diminish are the three mutual proofs that

4a. Explain Paley's argument for the existence of God (25) William Paley's argument for the existence of God is an important aspect of the Design argument, which argues that the universe is being directed towards an end purpose due to the a posteriori (subject to experience) evidence of an intelligent designer, who is God. This is because it is perhaps arguably the most famous version, and the theory which modern-day theories for the Design argument are built upon. The first version of the

that the sensation felt by a large majority of the population, love, can be attributed to the selfish genes that inhabit the body. For the sake of argument, love can be described as the relationship between people and their concern for each other. Dawkins introduces processes like kin selection, mating strategies, and reciprocal altruism which may play a role in both romantic and familial love. To summarize these processes: kin selection is when an organism risks their own well-being for a relative

In chapter 1 of A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, Finny recognizes Gene as his best friend. He shows loyalty, compassion, truthfulness, and almost any other character trait a great best friend should have. Everything drastically changes for Finny throughout A Separate Peace, that being said, this is how Finny felt about Gene at the beginning of chapter 1, "It's you, pal...just you and me" (Knowles 10). Finny feels like Gene is an honest person he can trust and befriend, and he obviously

To compare the Christian worldview to the secular worldview of account, one must understand the definition of what a worldview is and what a Christian worldview looks like as well as what a secular worldview looks. According to Valk (2012), "Worldviews are those larger pictures that inform and in turn form our perceptions of reality. They are visions of life as well as ways of life, are individual and personal, yet bind adherents together communally" (p. 1). It is not uncommon for individuals to

Understanding the humans is one of the most difficult things one learn in life, form how it works to the science behind it. Susan Blackmore’s, “Strange Creatures” brings to light all the struggles we go through and some of our abilities can be misleading. She begins the passage by differentiating humans from animals. She also tells her audience about Memes which seem to be successful due to not only their purpose, but their host’s devotion. If a person became easily influenced by a meme they would