During this course we had to pick a book to read with some of our peers and then we wrote a essay on it. The book had to be related to our major so I had to pick among the science related books, which I did not really mind since they seemed kind of interesting. I ended up reading The Selfish Gene which was a good book, but not at all what I expected. It was more of a scientific journal then a book. I assumed that it would have a story to it, but apparently none of the books really did because they were more of educational books then fun reading books.
A quick summary of this books background is that The Selfish Gene was published in 1976 by Richard Dawkins who is an ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and writer. The book became an international bestseller when it caused a wave of excitement among biologists and the general public. The Selfish Gene is about how genetics are passed on through the world and how some traits end up staying while others cease to exist. This book is important because it gives us a new view of life, and expands our understanding of evolution through a genes perspective.
A quick summary of this books background is that The Selfish Gene was published in 1976 by Richard Dawkins who is an ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and writer. The book became an international bestseller when it caused a wave of excitement among biologists and the general public. The Selfish Gene is about how genetics are passed on through the world and how some traits end up staying while others cease to exist. This book is important because it gives us a new view of life, and expands our understanding of evolution through a genes perspective.
I found that this book was kind of a hard read because since there is so much scientific terminology it is easy to become confused or to get bored and zone out. I was glad to realize that I actually could keep up with most of what Dawkins said. This is only because I have taken science classes so I know what he was referring to throughout most of his book. There were some times that it was beyond my understanding and I just really did not understand what he was talking about. This was annoying because I had to re-read sections a few times, in order to try and understand the point he is making.
What I did find interesting was that the writer of the book had studied Zoology when he went to Oxford, and that was really cool because that is my major so I could relate to that. The other two people in my group do not have majors in Biology, so I ended up finding this book more relatable and interesting then they did. Although my major is Zoology, I do not plan on being a zoologist. I chose this major because it was the closest thing SF State offered to Veterinary Medicine. I want to be a Vet, but if I end up one day realizing that I do not want to do that anymore then Zoology offers many things I can do. I never really knew what zoologists do, but after reading The Selfish Gene I now know that you can do a lot of things. For example this book talked a lot about the different behaviors of animals and how they either behave selfishly or selflessly. A lot of Zoologists study the behavior or evolution of animals, and I now know that I can do that one day if I want.
Here's a link to the online book if you want to see it:
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/selfishgene-dowkins.pdf
What I did find interesting was that the writer of the book had studied Zoology when he went to Oxford, and that was really cool because that is my major so I could relate to that. The other two people in my group do not have majors in Biology, so I ended up finding this book more relatable and interesting then they did. Although my major is Zoology, I do not plan on being a zoologist. I chose this major because it was the closest thing SF State offered to Veterinary Medicine. I want to be a Vet, but if I end up one day realizing that I do not want to do that anymore then Zoology offers many things I can do. I never really knew what zoologists do, but after reading The Selfish Gene I now know that you can do a lot of things. For example this book talked a lot about the different behaviors of animals and how they either behave selfishly or selflessly. A lot of Zoologists study the behavior or evolution of animals, and I now know that I can do that one day if I want.
Here's a link to the online book if you want to see it:
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/selfishgene-dowkins.pdf