From: Van oost Kenneth (kennethvanoost@belgacom.net)
Date: Tue 26 Aug 2003 - 19:45:40 GMT
Scott,
> There's probably not going to be enough of a genetic basis for these
> ideational differences between the superstitious and academic to impact
the
> gene pool that crafts future generations. We're all not very different in
> potenetial, its just social influences that tend to pull us down different
> pathways. The next Einstein could wind up a pulpit pounding preacher with
a
> massive grasp of scripture instead of learning the requisite math and
> physics.
Yes, but I do think that memetic evolution and thus the fact of neo- Lamarc-
kism is getting its grip on a more ' individual ' bias than upon the basis
of
species- gene- pool.
Individuals can do so much more for having an impact. That religious thought
and ideas are not handed down vertically across generations ( genetic- like)
and thus here species- like is NOT to say that it can 't be done
individualis-
ticly_ that means from father to son in the understanding that the son is
getting more prone for religion than he would be if his father wasn 't reli-
gious at all.
That a harsh selection regime for solidarity/ love/ positive thinking, etc
should
not influence genes which in turn should influence mental development in
adaptive ways to continue such efforts is for me a fact that I can 't
believe.
For me, the fact that memes have influence_ and across generations is a
potential fact that should be counted into the maths.
Many times upon this list already I mentioned that maybe we're looking
at the wrong markers_ that memetic evolution is NOT a matter of distinctive
differences across generations ( traits and habits) but is more a matter
of getting easy the message/ thoughts/ ideas and performances across.
If indeed ideas are getting across in one way or another it is more likely
that the model should choose the ' individual ', the same principle ( small
units) was at work when, like you mentioned, we were gathering food
on the savannah.
Kenneth
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