Theodicies

Richard Dawkins

Here we explore how Richard Dawkins’ work in genetics influenced his later polemic against theism. 

The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene, first published in 1976, is a seminal work in evolutionary biology that popularized the gene-centered view of evolution. Drawing on earlier ideas from biologists like George C. Williams and W.D. Hamilton, Dawkins argues that natural selection operates primarily at the level of genes rather than individuals, groups, or species. He describes genes as “selfish” replicators—molecules like DNA that persist through generations by building “survival machines” (organisms) to ensure their own propagation, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of the organism’s well-being. This metaphor of selfishness does not imply conscious intent but rather that genes evolve behaviors and traits that maximize their chances of being copied and passed on.

Key concepts

Evolution begins with simple self-replicating molecules in the primordial soup, leading to complex life via natural selection. Genes are the fundamental units of selection, and organisms are mere vehicles for their replication. Seemingly selfless behaviors, like a bird warning its flock of danger, are explained through “inclusive fitness”—genes promoting actions that benefit relatives (who share copies of those genes) to enhance overall replication success. This accounts for phenomena like eusociality in insects, where workers sacrifice reproduction for the colony. 

Dawkins borrows a concept from game theory, ESS (evolutionarily stable strategy) to explain stable behaviors in populations, such as aggression or cooperation. ESS is not a “conscious strategy” but the outcome of natural selection.  His Hawk-Dove example shows that Doves thrive by cooperation, while Hawks fight for resources but can sustain injuries. The two strategies balance each other out ensuring stable populations of both. 

In the book’s final chapter (expanded in later editions), Dawkins introduces memes as cultural replicators—ideas, behaviors, or styles that spread through imitation, analogous to genes. Examples include tunes, fashions, or religious beliefs, which replicate “selfishly” based on their appeal, regardless of truth or benefit to the host.

Selfish Gene’s Influence on The God Delusion

Published in 2006, The God Delusion is Dawkins’ polemic against theism, arguing that God is a delusion and that science, particularly evolutionary biology, provides better explanations for the universe, life, and morality. The concepts from The Selfish Gene profoundly shape its arguments, extending gene-centered evolution to challenge religious claims and promote atheism.

Countering the Argument from Design: In  The God Delusion, Dawkins invokes natural selection as a “consciousness-raiser” that explains apparent design in nature without a designer, building directly on the gene-centered mechanisms in The Selfish Gene. He argues that complex life emerges from simple replicators through cumulative selection, not divine intervention—echoing how “selfish” genes drive adaptation over generations. This culminates in the “Ultimate Boeing 747 Gambit,” that a tornado sweeping through a junkyard could assemble a 747.

Positing a complex God to explain complexity is more improbable than evolution, as God would require an even greater explanation, whereas genes evolve incrementally without foresight.

Explaining Morality and Altruism Without God: Dawkins uses the selfish gene framework to argue that morality arises from evolutionary processes, not divine command. Altruism, often cited as evidence of God’s moral law, is re-framed as a product of kin selection and reciprocal behaviors that enhance gene survival—genes “selfishly” promote helping relatives or allies to propagate shared copies. This Darwinian morality undercuts religious claims, showing empathy and ethics as natural outcomes of selection, allowing societies to evolve moral norms independently of scripture.

Religion as a Meme or By-Product: The meme concept from  The Selfish Gene is pivotal in  The God Delusion’s analysis of religion’s origins. Dawkins portrays religious ideas as viral memes that replicate culturally due to psychological appeal (e.g., fear of death, promise of afterlife), not truth, persisting “selfishly” even if harmful. Religion is also seen as a by-product of adaptive traits, like children’s obedience to authority (useful for survival but exploitable by faith), tying back to gene-driven behaviors.

Overall, The Selfish Gene provides the scientific scaffolding for The God Delusion’s atheism, demonstrating that evolution demystifies life’s complexities, rendering gods unnecessary and improbable. This influence shifts Dawkins from biologist to atheist advocate, though critics argue it oversimplifies philosophy and theology.

Eliminating gods from the discussion may be called simplification, or oversimplification, or even reductionism. Reductionism is certainly Dawkins’ statement in River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (1995), where he says:

“In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won’t find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.”

We agree, but here we are, conscious beings searching for purpose, meaning, and consciously deciding if and how to perpetuate our genes.