Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id BAA05906 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 3 Mar 2000 01:40:32 GMT Message-Id: <200003030138.UAA04848@mail5.lig.bellsouth.net> From: "Joe E. Dees" <joedees@bellsouth.net> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2000 19:42:23 -0600 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Re: Monkeys stone herdsman in Kenya In-reply-to: <B0000435476@htcompmail.htcomp.net> References: <200003020535.AAA10143@mail3.lig.bellsouth.net> X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.12b) Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Date sent:      	Thu, 02 Mar 2000 11:45:03 -0500
To:             	joedees@bellsouth.net
From:           	"Mark M. Mills" <mmills@htcomp.net>
Subject:        	Re: Monkeys stone herdsman in Kenya
> Joe,
> 
> >My purpose in sending you the paper was so you could, from perusing it, 
> >better understand where I am coming from in the positions that I take on
> list.
> 
> Ok.  I can understand that.  Thank you.
> 
> >One thing that I intend to bring to that thread is the contention that 
> >fleeting culture is impossible, which is why I insist upon there being 
> >more than episodic evidence to ascribe culture to babboons.  This 
> >is the reason I mention rock modification, rock 
> >transportation/retention, and toolkit behavior.  For memetic 
> >evolution/mutation to occur within a culture, the culture must 
> >perdure.  It cannot be something that occurs briefly, then 
> >disappears - it has to last, and be an enduring part of the world of 
> >those to whom culture is ascribed.  The substrate of any change 
> >must be a stability which gives some identity to WHAT is 
> >changing; thus I contend that cultural manifestations must be 
> >frequent, if not ubiquitous, for culture to be considered inherent in a 
> >species, and for there to be something present to mutate or evolve. 
> >Also, memetic transmission/reception must be more than mere 
> >monkey see, monkey do; there must be the intention to teach and 
> >to learn noninstinctual behaviors.  We need to find baboons intent 
> >on teaching other baboons, who are intent on learning from them, 
> >how to throw rocks.  We also need to see variations between 
> >babboon bands in HOW they throw rocks, as we see between 
> >chimp bands in how they create termite wands, to verify that the 
> >observed behavior is mutating into various forms between bands.
> 
> This looks interesting, but I'd rather reply in the thread.  Can you put
> this on the list?
> 
> mark
> 
> 
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