RE: Why are human brains bigger?

From: Richard Brodie (richard@brodietech.com)
Date: Mon May 22 2000 - 17:47:07 BST

  • Next message: Tyger: "Re: the usefullness of belief" 

    Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA00430 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 22 May 2000 17:49:18 +0100
From: "Richard Brodie" <richard@brodietech.com>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Why are human brains bigger?
Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 09:47:07 -0700
Message-ID: <NBBBIIDKHCMGAIPMFFPJGELFENAA.richard@brodietech.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0)
Importance: Normal
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600
In-Reply-To: <39291A61.5AC555AC@mediaone.net>
Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk

    Chuck wrote:

    <<In sum, I am arguing that there has to be a monitoring mechanism that
    compares
    and calculates our own individual interests and how that must wedged somehow
    into cooperative activities.>>

    Modern understanding of evolution tells us that individual animals do not
    act exactly in their own interest but in the interest of whatever genes are
    most successful at influencing their behavior. See Dawkins in THE EXTENDED
    PHENOTYPE.

    Memetics proposes that beings with minds, such as humans, do not act exactly
    in their own interest but in the interest of whatever memes are most
    successful at influencing their behavior. See Brodie in VIRUS OF THE MIND.

    I think you will respond by saying once again that you don't agree. Very
    well. But this is, after all, the memetics discussion list, not the Chuck's
    theory discussion list. If Chuck's theory can predict cool things then
    great. I'm still impressed by seeing the fruition of some of the predictions
    of memetics, particularly the growth of viral marketing on the Internet.

    Richard Brodie richard@brodietech.com
    http://www.memecentral.com/rbrodie.htm

    ===============================================================
    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

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon May 22 2000 - 17:49:44 BST