Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id DAA12163 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 18 Feb 2000 03:25:15 GMT To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 19:23:21 -0800 From: "Scott Chase" <hemidactylus@my-Deja.com> Message-ID: <BECODPKGDFCBOBAA@my-deja.com> X-Sent-Mail: off X-Mailer: MailCity Service Subject: RE: meaning in memetics X-Sender-Ip: 209.240.200.127 Organization: My Deja Email (http://www.my-deja.com:80) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Language: en Content-Length: 3714 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
--On Thu, 17 Feb 2000 19:14:20 Joe E. Dees wrote: >Subject: RE: meaning in memetics >Date sent: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 19:50:40 -0500 >From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> >To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> >Send reply to: memetics@mmu.ac.uk > >> Richard Brodie made this comment not too long ago -- >> >> >I'm unclear on your meaning. When you use the word "adaptation" >> >> Adapt- To make or become suitable to a particular situation or use. fit, >> adjust, suit, accommodate, conform, square, fashion, reconcile, tailor, >> acclimatize, acclimate. >> >In the genetic epistemology of Jean Piaget, assimilation (of >environment to organism) plus accommodation (of organism to >environment) equals adaptation. > As I recall from my readings of Piaget, he was quite fond of James Mark Baldwin and the "Baldwin effect" and Richard Goldschmidt's notion of the phenocopy (which I recall Piaget actually attributing to Baldwin, so I'm kinda unsure of the genealogy of this latter term). Piaget's a fascinating read, though there's a slight hint of neo-Lamarckism in his approach. I'm still unclear on the whole genomic feedback idea or how a phenotypic disequilibrium could be translated into a permanent heritable change, but this might be more of my own shortcoming. I definitely need to re-read Piaget and I've also got his book on structuralism on the agenda, which has been referenced in other books I've been reading recently. Piaget, in one of his books not presently handy, seemed to have an affinity for the field concept of Paul Weiss, which happens to be a present idee fixe with me :-)
I wonder how much of Piaget's theorizing on behavior and evolution was sparked by his earlier work on snails. If I haven't grossly misremembered one of his underlying themes, he put behavior first and foremost as a driving force of evolution, perhaps as he was a champion of the Baldwin/Waddington effect. This could resonate well with memetics.
As far as adaptation goes, this terminology issue is a slippery slope. I prefer using a term such as adjustment for plastic phenotypic changes within a given range of reaction which transpire during the unfolding of ontogeny and are different from the discrete and hardwired adaptations which one notices in phylogeny. Both have a genetic basis, but phylogenetic adaptations are actually coded for, even if the actual gene for trait mapping is somewhat fuzzy.
I also don't take the view that nature cleaves everything at the seams. I tend to think that possibly much of what is considered memetic or cultural is a nonaptive byproduct, spin-offs or sequelae if you will. I'd use the term "spandrel", but that could very well cause a ruckus in an environment unfriendly to Gouldian neologism :-) Besides our favorite paleontologist ain't so fond of memetics is he? He would probably insist on adding "exaptation" to the present discussion though.
I'm friendly to the view that culture has "taken off" on its own accord and that there are cultural units of selection/drift. The culturgens of Wilson and Lumsden are the more hardwired bunch, where I'd break memes apart as an aspect of human behavioral phenotypic pliability. Of course, maybe the leash can reverse, which takes us back to Piaget and the Baldwin effect (or Waddingtonian genetic assimilation).
Since you mentioned that Dretske fellow, I found one of his books _Naturalizing the Mind_ at my library. Thanks. Now my reading stack (mount improbable) is even taller :-)
Scott
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