Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA07175 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 25 May 2000 19:01:42 +0100 Message-ID: <392D23B3.A910F947@mediaone.net> Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 13:59:31 +0100 From: chuck <cpalson@mediaone.net> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.72 [en] (WinNT; I) X-Accept-Language: en To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: What is "useful"; what is "survival" References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745875@inchna.stir.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
Vincent Campbell wrote:
> 'Most social scientists simply assume there are
> > no explanations for certain things and don't try to investigate any
> > further.'
> >
> Hmm, nice to see accusations of sweeping assumptions being made, in, oh, a
> sweeping assumption!
I have been probing the social sciences with a lot of energy for 4 decades, so I
have a pretty good idea of what's out there. It's not an assumption, it's actual
research.
>
>
> > ----------
> > From: chuck
> > Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 5:01 pm
> > To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> > Subject: Re: What is "useful"; what is "survival"
> >
> >
> >
> > "Wade T.Smith" wrote:
> >
> > > On 05/24/00 06:49, Vincent Campbell said this-
> > >
> > > >(The point about seppuku, was that this is a ritual behaviour that has
> > > >persisted for many generations explicitly involving suicide- how do you
> > > >explain it?)
> > >
> > > Perhaps with the same breath that explains Clinton's _not_ performing
> > > such a ceremony in the face of precisely a situation in which the
> > > nipponese culture would demand it.
> >
> > >
> > > Which is to say, there is no simple explanation for the strength of a
> > > culture or the directions is allows.
> > >
> >
> > You missed my point, Wade. The difference is to what extent reputation
> > plays
> > a role in each society because of ecological conditions. In this country,
> > if
> > you get a bad reputation in one town, you can simply move to another town
> > or
> > state, set up residence by showing your bank account, and start anew. Ask
> > any European who has moved here, and they will tell you they are
> > astonished
> > by this -- and usually love it (although perhaps academics are out of the
> > loop). In a land short country like Japan where people must stay in one
> > place, they don't have that option. That is why the stain generally lasts
> > and is far more serious than here.
> >
> > Actually, I should substitute the word land for resources for modern
> > industrial societies. I have tested this out cross culturally and it has
> > works every time. This continuum seems to work in the orient also as well
> > as within the US. I know of no people that relies less on reputation to
> > evaluate their countrymen, and it is a defining characteristic of our
> > mentality.
> >
> > And, yes there are explanations for the strength of *every* cultural
> > traits
> > because the culture of a people is its tool kit for living, not simply a
> > pretty thing to wear or eat. Most social scientists simply assume there
> > are
> > no explanations for certain things and don't try to investigate any
> > further.
> > Just about everyone on this listserv, for example, believes this as a
> > matter
> > of faith. The most recent such investigator is Fukuyama who states
> > outright
> > that 20% of culture is free variation, a figure he pulls out of the air
> > without being challenged.
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> > > - Wade
> > >
> > > ===============================================================
> > > 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 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 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 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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