Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA08620 (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 22:38:21 +0100 From: "Richard Brodie" <richard@brodietech.com> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Cui bono, Chuck? Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 14:36:09 -0700 Message-ID: <NBBBIIDKHCMGAIPMFFPJIEPOENAA.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) In-Reply-To: <392D46A0.928A1C7B@mediaone.net> Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Because he's next going to ask you how drunk driving, chain smoking, and
suicide benefit the individual.
Richard Brodie richard@brodietech.com
http://www.memecentral.com/rbrodie.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
Of chuck
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 8:29 AM
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Cui bono, Chuck?
Robin Faichney wrote:
> Could I clarify one point, Chuck?
>
> You say behaviour has to be useful, but useful to whom, exactly? Must
> it be primarily of use to the behaving individual, his/her family or
> part thereof, or the wider community?
>
The individual - which Dawkins calls the Survival Machine. The "community
effect" if you will comes from the fact that social animals need to form
alliances with each other. So -- the individual can be a legitimate unit
of analysis.
Although selection takes place at the "selfish gene" level, the aggregate
effect must be the creation of a survival machine. On a probability basis,
the individual will more likely form durable alliances with those who
share more genetic material.
Since I am sure you know this, I am waiting to hear the reason why you are
asking me :)
>
> --
> Robin Faichney
>
> ===============================================================
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This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
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For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
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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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