Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA08520 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 14 May 2002 22:52:06 +0100 User-Agent: Microsoft-Entourage/9.0.2509 Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 22:37:42 +0100 Subject: RE: Memetic Influence on Evolution From: Steve Drew <sd014a6399@blueyonder.co.uk> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Message-ID: <B9074236.324%sd014a6399@blueyonder.co.uk> In-Reply-To: <200205141939.UAA08258@alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk> Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Lawrence and Grant.
I've read Fukuyama's article in the New Scientist (20/4/02) and sent a post
which never made it, as well as a later article in the Guardian (UK), and
frankly, though I agree that we need to keep an eye on the way biotech goes,
his article in New Scientist was pretty shallow concerning using drugs such
as Ritalin and Prozac as methods of social control. This to me is a side
effect of health and social policy, that good old well worn path that is
paved with good intentions. Anti-biotic resistance is increasing (for
example) because doctors want to use the best thing available for their
patients now. Not risk using something less powerful, and and wind up with a
problem later by using one of the old ones.
I'm starting to rant a bit here...
And this revolution in Biotech! No I'm not going down that road either...
Memetics does influence evolution, but for now it is at a coarser level than
most biotech would wish.
Regards
Steve
> Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 15:35:07 -0400
> From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
> Subject: RE: Memetic Influence on Evolution
>
> Alas, academe -- especially among we political scientists -- is much
> enthralled with offering quick sound bites and getting on the Lehrer
> Newshour. Fukuyama has set himself up at the Scool of of Advanced
> International Studies (Johns Hopkins Univ) in Washington, and has fallen
> harder than most for this lure...
>
> Lawrence
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
>> Of Vincent Campbell
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2002 6:30 AM
>> To: 'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'
>> Subject: RE: Memetic Influence on Evolution
>>
>>
>> Nice piece, Grant.
>>
>> Just a quick aside: Fukuyama's brave isn't he? After being
>> about as wrong
>> as you can be with his 'end of history' idea, he's back with a new "idea"
>> that is getting huge coverage all over the place. To be fair,
>> his new idea
>> looks a little more sensible, but I'm always wary of
>> grandstanding academics
>> like him.
>>
>> Vincent
>>
>>> ----------
>>> From: Grant Callaghan
>>> Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>>> Sent: Monday, May 13, 2002 15:06 PM
>>> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>>> Subject: Memetic Influence on Evolution
>>>
>>> The following story illustrates the coming influence of memetics on
>>> genetic
>>> evolution. For a view of what we might do about it, read Francis
>>> Fukuyama's
>>> Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution.
>>>
===============================================================
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 : Tue May 14 2002 - 23:03:49 BST