Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id SAA11211 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 17 Feb 2000 18:48:43 GMT Subject: RE: meaning in memetics Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 13:47:16 -0500 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas est veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "memetics list" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20000217185316.AAA1578@camail2.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On 02/17/00 12:20, Richard Brodie said this-
>I think the exciting and scary thing about memetics
>is that behaviors and the memes that drive them are NOT genetic adaptations
>but rather meme-serving or mind-virus-serving adaptations.
While I have seen _no evidence_ that behaviors involving cultural actions
needs to be _anything else_ but adaptations based in genetic,
developmental, and environmental determinants, where, yes, I admit that I
see 'mind' as such an adaptation, and yes, I see the 'tricks' of
evolution as what you might call 'genetic adaptations'. Genes don't
'adapt', they either are or are not useful in successful replication.
And I personally see such socio-biology as _way_ more scary than relying
on the specious grandioseness of a memetic component for such behavior.
_Way_ more scary and exciting.
- Wade
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