> Dawkins, of course, wrote "The Selfish Gene," back in the
> mid-1970s, decades before he became Professor of
> the Public Understanding of Science. I doubt that at
> that time he had any inkling that the book would
> become a bestseller, so I am skeptical that he
> should be held responsible for the misconceptions
> of people who were too lazy to read the book.
I remember an interview with him where he says (to paraphrase) that it's to humans' credit that we've developed morality and empathy to the point that we can overcome evolutionary pressures and not be slaves of selfish genes. Whether you agree with that point or not, it has a whiff of solidarity.
Calling him a rightist sounds like a new way of expressing being upset with what he says.
-- Andy