The Selfish Gene

Why it’s on the list: Richard Dawkins’s gene-centred view of evolution, in which organisms are vehicles built by genes competing to replicate themselves — and the book that introduced the meme.

Where I heard about it

• Charlie Munger — on the reading list in Poor Charlie’s Almanack, his perennial list of books that build a latticework of multidisciplinary mental models.
• Replies to @WillManidis — named in the answers to his question “what is the single best book you can read that will explain an entire industry?” (the thread, June 2025). Full list: what is the single best book… (tweet).
• Replies to @SpencrGreenberg — named in the answers to his question “What non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world (or how humanity or society) really works?” (the thread, June 2025). Full list: A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet).
• Li Lu — on Li Lu’s Recommended Book List, under Science, Philosophy, Evolution, History of Human Civilization, Human History.

Connections

• Poor Charlie’s Almanack — surfaced on Charlie Munger’s recommended-reading list.
• what is the single best book… (tweet) — recommendation #2: named in this crowd-sourced thread.
• A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet) — recommendation #3: named in this crowd-sourced thread.