Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id KAA29521 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 30 May 2000 10:15:30 +0100 Message-ID: <20000530091307.45648.qmail@hotmail.com> X-Originating-IP: [212.1.128.63] From: "Diana Stevenson" <dianaxf@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Cui bono, Chuck? Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 02:13:07 PDT Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Chuck wrote:
<No wonder he praises Blackmore, a person who claims that fax machines and
computer operating systems answer no needs -- (in other words, they are
"useless").>
As I understand it, all Blackmore means here is that we survived perfectly
well without them. If you look at the data available, you'll find that
people around the world who don't have fax machines and computers produce
far more children - and at a younger age which means greater biological
fitness - than those who do.
Evolutionary biologists (and psychologists) are likely to seek explanations
for such developments in ways that historians and anthropologists are not.
The meme model is one explanation for why culture might work against
biological reproduction. I don't think anyone's claiming it's a complete
theory of culture.
Diana
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