So How Much Power Do We Have?

Life according to The Selfish Gene exists as we know it because genes developed machines to allow the continuation of their own replication and defense from other replicating genes. Thus, we were created for the survival of genes only. The competition between genes for the available matter on which they can replicate became natural selection which leads to our existence. The shape of the survival machines has changed greatly from the original molecules that began creating more of themselves but the concept remains the same. We continue to be a mean by which genes achieve their own continuation. Generally what we do is exactly what genes want us to do. They achieve this level of control by giving us a preset goal and the farther away we are from it the more we work towards it. We see this idea here: "The 'purpose machine', the machine or thing that behaves as if it had a conscious purpose, is equipped with some kind of measuring device which measures the discrepancy between the current state of things, and the 'desired' state. It is built in such a way that the larger this discrepancy is, the harder the machine works" (51). Our brains and body are there to execute the genes wishes to continue existing. This is achieved by giving us an ideal of what life is supposed to be like and genes let us work whatever way we can to reach that ideal. Genes can't work the details of life and thanks to this we are given some freedom. Because our brains are so developed that degree of freedom has become the ability to go against what our genes tell us to do. Suicides are an example of this rebellion against nature. Genes don't want to die at least not knowing that they can continue living normally.

This freedom that given to us by genes is showed here: "But as brains became more highly developed, they took over more and more of the actual policy decisions, using tricks like learning and simulation in doing so. The logical conclusion to this trend (…) would be for the genes to have the survival machine a single overall policy instruction: do whatever you think best to keep us alive" (60). The problem with this idea of taking over the genetic instructions and disobeying them is that we would be ignoring knowledge that has been passed down for millions of years. We are the best model there is for the current state of things in the world. Any change could result in damage to the species and the gene. Should we really question our instincts when it took nature millions of years of trial and error to create them?