Nice Guys Finish First (with Hilarious Update)

Richard Dawkins explains how “selfish genes” can give rise to altruistic, co-operative behaviour, in an attempt to stop his thesis being wildly misinterpreted and exploited by crass opportunists on the extremes of the political spectrum for their own self-serving purposes. Some of the examples given, drawn from sources as disparate as football matches and trench warfare, are quite surprisingly uplifting and positively heartening in nature; qualities not usually associated with Dawkins, at least by his more strident detractors.

Update: And speaking of Richard Dawkins… Sometimes the way in which the truly ironic things in life “reveal” themselves to us might almost be described as miraculous. (In fact, they’re just serendipitous, but you know what I mean…) Hard not to have a few mordant chuckles over the agonizing torments being suffered by the good Christian folk of the right-wing over the esteemed Oxford professor appearing before the “power ascendant” cognoscenti of the Conservative Party of Canada (aka The Fraser Institute) at their vaguely Masonic sounding “Illuminismo series” of lectures.

As BCL notes with glee, for years these poor SoCon rubes have dutifully forked over millions of dollars in contributions to the CPC and all they’ve gotten in return is a “lousy fake abortion bill” and a pantomime motion on gay marriage while the cynical secularists are laughing all the way to the bank with their regressive tax cuts. No wonder they’re so indignant. It must be insulting when your own party not only laughs at you behind your back, but now spits right in your face.