The Selfish Gene
Test your knowledge with 45 questions across 3 challenge tiers
Master These Concepts
Review these key terms before taking the quiz
Selfish Gene
The concept that genes act as if they are selfish replicators using organisms as survival machines
Dawkins argues evolution is best understood from the gene perspective where genes that spread survive
Replicator
An entity that makes copies of itself and is the fundamental unit of natural selection
Genes are replicators that use organisms as vehicles for their propagation through generations
Survival Machine
Dawkins term for organisms which are vehicles that genes build to ensure their replication
Bodies are survival machines – robots programmed by genes to preserve and propagate those genes
Meme
A unit of cultural transmission that spreads through imitation analogous to genes
Ideas fashions and behaviors can spread through populations like genes through meme replication
Altruism
Behavior that benefits others at a cost to oneself which requires evolutionary explanation
Apparent altruism can be explained by genes benefiting copies of themselves in relatives
Kin Selection
The evolutionary strategy that favors the reproductive success of relatives even at cost to oneself
An organism might sacrifice itself to save relatives who share its genes
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Fundamentals
TIER 1 • READER BADGE
Deep Dive
TIER 2 • SCHOLAR BADGE
Expert
TIER 3 • MASTER BADGE
