Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA21328 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 21 May 2002 13:09:13 +0100 Message-ID: <570E2BEE7BC5A34684EE5914FCFC368C10FCE4@fillan.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: New Scientist this week Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 12:59:30 +0100 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Filter-Info: UoS MailScan 0.1 [D 1] X-MailScanner: Found to be clean Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>> There's another way of thinking about altruistic sacrifice-
social
>> status for offspring and relatives. A martyr (or a celibate
monk, say), may
>> die, but family members may gain in social status as a result and
>> subsequently will do better in terms of survival and mate choice
etc. Such
>> an argument works better in social insects where they share more
genes with
>> each other, but when you add in cultural capital, if you like,
that might be
>> a strong factor in humans also. This could work as well for
women as for
>> men. The sisters of a female suicide bomber might have their
mate chances
>> improved by association.
<Yes I have come across these explanations before, but am still very
wary of
> them. Although I am not aware of one , a lone female with no siblings or
> cousins etc would tend to disprove it. Anyone hear of one? IMHO this is a
> case of memes over genes. That of a tribal identity that is not based on
> kinship.>
>
One of the tangential problems of suicide bombings is that, here in
the UK anyway, who these people are, what their family circumstances are
etc. are rarely if ever given. So I don't know. I personally do think some
people do such things out of highly irrational though-processes, but I'm
still not convinced its memes at work.
<Is the Adams book the one finished by his wife? Read all the rest,
> obviously! Were the Kricket Wars too UK? :-)>
>
It's a mixture of articles, short stories, and the first half dozen
chapters from a Dirk Gently book he was writing (for the past decade or so
apparently!). I dunno how the third hitchhiker book went down in the
States, given it's very British themes, in one piece in this book, he does
comment on Americans absolute inability to make a proper cup of tea
(elsewhere, he gives instructions for his perfect cuppa, where I discovered
he's a milk first person like myself).
Vincent
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