Mistake... Evolution.

It is easy to see how science is considered by some the most intriguing field of study after reading The Selfish Gene.  At the same time, one would expect that all scientists – if one can call writers like Dawkins scientists – be rendered failures, for not being able to provide tangible results.  Richard Dawkins is not a scientist. He is a philosopher with a tendency to analyze the works of previous experts on scientific fields.  One would expect that he would actually deliver a product that can be used in science for years to come.  But the mistake doesn’t befall on Dawkins.  The reader of literature must have an open mind towards the work they are about to analyze; this obligation is tenfold when it comes to intellectually rigorous scientific writing.  With this in mind, the second chapter, titled: The Replicator, is an excellent way to engender debates in the reader’s brain.

Whilst reading the chapter, the question: is evolution progress, was on my mind.  I find this strange, given that the author mentioned everything from the translation of ‘young women’ to ‘virgin’ to the idea that humans are survival machines.  In order for one to have a basic understanding of the chapter, Dawkins assumes that the reader thinks that evolution is a synonym of progress and that Darwinism in all its aspects is correct.

"Then the replicator would act as a template, not for an identical copy, but for a kind of 'negative'..." (pg 16) Dawkins presents the idea of evolution and the idea of trying to make copies as a factor that has driven humans and all creatures to be what they are today.  But when he does this, he never mentions whether the entire process of evolution, the necessary mistake in the replicating process, is good or bad for the subject of the change.  He says the very basis of evolution is making a mistake in the process of replication.  But how can a recurring mistake result in something positive? Looking ahead in the book, I hope the author can clarify what he means when he says that making mistakes is what causes evolution.