Abstract
The “selfish gene” is a biological term that has considerable application in the human sciences. Paradoxically, the selfish gene may lead people to engage in apparently charitable behavior. Before dealing with the details of this however it is important to note that human behavior is only controlled by genetic inheritance in the most general way. Human beings walk on their feet, not their hands, wear clothing in cold weather because they have no fur, and in many other ways their genes control their behavior. Genes exert control over the behavior of human beings, however, to a lesser degree than nature controls the physical design of human beings. Nevertheless, some degree of control occurs.
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© 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Tullock, G. (2004). Selfish Gene. In: Rowley, C.K., Schneider, F. (eds) The Encyclopedia of Public Choice. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-47828-4_186
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-47828-4_186
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-8607-0
Online ISBN: 978-0-306-47828-4
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