Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id DAA08951 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 15 May 2002 03:08:06 +0100 X-Originating-IP: [67.243.224.128] From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: Memetic Influence on Evolution Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 19:01:49 -0700 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <LAW2-F129nWwAeRaNgE00018e3e@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 15 May 2002 02:01:49.0661 (UTC) FILETIME=[79A4C0D0:01C1FBB4] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>
>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
The deeper I got into Fukuyama's book, the more boring it seemed and the
more behind in thinking about the implications of what's going on in the
fields of genetics. He acts as if he never heard of memetics. He was still
reprising Freud and huxley and made the world of the future seem like a
script based on Brave New World. He didn't even bring up the man/machine
interface or nanotechnology in what I've read so far and he foresees
governments trying to legislate morality for the scientific community. To
me he seems as wrong this time out as he was the last time. The funny part
is, if I had only read the blurbs and chapter titles I would have thought he
was pretty much on target. It was only in the reading itself that I came to
the conclusion that he really didn't have much to say that hasn't been
hashed out by others before him. And his conclusions sound like he never
left the 20th century.
Cheers,
Grant
P.S. Have you heard about Stephen Wolfram's new book? From what I've read
about it, it shows a lot of promise for the subject of memetics.
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