Language mavens commonly confuse their own peeves with a worsening of the language.

Genetically influenced behavior is not necessarily good and not necessarily unchangeable. Explanations of bad behavior that appeal to genes do not absolve a person any more than do explanations that appeal to upbringing.

People are under the impression that dictionaries legislate language. What a dictionary does is keep track of usages over time.

Just as blueprints don't necessarily specify blue buildings, selfish genes don't necessarily specify selfish organisms. As we shall see, sometimes the most selfish thing a gene can do is build a selfless brain. Genes are a play within a play, not the interior monologue of the players.

All our behaviours are a result of neurophysiological activity in the brain. There is no reason to believe there is any magic going on.

Plants can't very well defend themselves by their behavior, so they resort to chemical warfare, and plants are saturated with toxins and irritants to deter creatures like us who want to eat them.

We often feel that a clever aphorism captures a truth that would require pages to defend in any other way.