Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id SAA10346 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 18 May 2000 18:52:34 +0100 From: Robin Faichney <robin@faichney.demon.co.uk> Organization: Reborn Technology To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Central questions of memetics Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 18:35:01 +0100 X-Mailer: KMail [version 1.0.21] Content-Type: text/plain References: <3923C91F.C391AA53@mediaone.net> Message-Id: <00051818361906.00537@faichney> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Thu, 18 May 2000, Chuck Palson wrote:
>Robin Faichney wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 18 May 2000, Chuck Palson wrote:
>> >But in any event, discovering use value is not tautological because it
>> >is every bit as falsifiable as Darwin's theory; that's no accident because it is
>> >an integral part of Darwin's theory!
>>
>> I don't see how "use value" for individuals can be an integral part of
>> evolutionary theory, unless you disagree with all the modern thinking that
>> says the replicator is *not* the individual, but the gene. (And there also
>> seems to be an implication that all behaviour is genetically determined,
>> but maybe your answer to the first question would also answer the second.)
>>
>
>I frankly have difficulty with this aspect of evolutionary theory. Yes, evolution
>must function on the gene level. But the end result must be reflected in some way in
>the individual. Individuals who are born without brains don't survive. Individuals
>who have defective brains - that can't compute solutions to the ordinary situations
>in life - die pretty fast also. The gene that produced the stupidity dies along with
>all the other genes. Individuals that carry genes survive if those genes as a whole
>produce the right behaviors of individuals. So tell me in a short e-mail why, if or
>how this contradicts the notion that selection takes place at the gene level. Please
>don't make it a long one because I can't read your long ones any more.
The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins.
That short enough for you? :-)
-- Robin Faichney===============================This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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