Survival machine is a concept, first proposed by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene, whereby all organisms should be considered as the protection genes construct to survive their surroundings in order to propagate. Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. ... Original book cover from the painting The Expectant Valley by zoologist Desmond Morris The Selfish Gene is a very popular and somewhat controversial book on evolutionary theory by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. ... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ...

The surroundings in which the survival machine has to exist includes both environmental and social conditions.

Environmental examples

Genes that create a survival machine with thick fur are more likely to survive and propagate in cold climates.

Social examples

Genes that create a survival machine with a tendency to care for its young are more likely to survive and propagate.

See also