Genes don't want to change

From Carls wiki

From a selfish-gene perspective, genes don't benefit from mutations. The terms "mutations" and "gene survival" are in opposition. If this were true, we would see elaborate mechanisms for preserving genome integrity in organisms. That is what we're seeing.

Note that the mechanisms resist all mutations — beneficial as well as disadvantegeous. Genes don't want to change for the better, either. If it were up to the genes, evolution would not happen. Evolution can only happen in a medium whose laws prevents 100% copying fidelity.

The only exception I know is that of bacteria that increase their own mutation rate in certain threatening environments. Here, the genes are taking a calculated risk, to survive by letting mutations hit the genome. However, each gene secretly hopes that the beneficial mutation will happen to some other gene. And statistically, it most often does. Therefore, as long as the environmental threat is large enough, each gene raises its chances of survival by agreeing to reduce the strictness of the control mechanisms.