From the preface to the second edition of The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins:
In the dozen years since The Selfish Gene was published its central message has become textbook orthodoxy. This is paradoxical, but not in the obvious way. It is not one of those books that was reviled as revolutionary when published, then steadily won converts until it ended up so orthodox that we now wonder what the fuss was about. Quite the contrary. From the outset the reviews were gratifyingly favourable and it was not seen, initially, as a controversial book. Its reputation for contentiousness took years to grow until, by now, it is widely regarded as a work of radical extremism. But over the very same years as the book’s reputation for extremism has escalated, its actual content has seemed less and less extreme, more and more the common currency.
In the dozen years since The Selfish Gene was published its central message has become textbook orthodoxy.
- Since it’s publishing, the main idea of this book has become orthodoxy.
This is paradoxical, but not in the obvious way.
- This is paradoxical.
It is not one of those books that was reviled as revolutionary when published, then steadily won converts until it ended up so orthodox that we now wonder what the fuss was about.
- It’s not a book that initially was reviled as controversial but then steadily became accepted.
Quite the contrary.
- Quite the contrary
From the outset the reviews were gratifyingly favourable and it was not seen, initially, as a controversial book.
- The book wasn’t seen as controversial in the beginning.
Its reputation for contentiousness took years to grow until, by now, it is widely regarded as a work of radical extremism.
- It took time for the book’s controversial reputation to grow.
But over the very same years as the book’s reputation for extremism has escalated, its actual content has seemed less and less extreme, more and more the common currency.
- In that time its actual content has seemed less and less extreme.
