From: derek gatherer (dgatherer2002@yahoo.co.uk)
Date: Sat 24 Jan 2004 - 18:17:35 GMT
Keith:
The math behind both genetics and memetics generates S
curves where the early part of the S curve is
exponential. The exact same math describes epidemics.
Derek:
Yes, but only in the most extreme situations,
requiring either strong cultural selection or natural
selection, consistently for a fair period of time.
Otherwise, you get something much more like a random
walk.
See:
http://jom-emit.cfpm.org/2002/vol6/gatherer_d.html
Keith:
Memetic models predict that potato washing by monkeys
would be adopted on an S curve.
Derek:
This I doubt, since it is probably not sufficiently
selected either culturally or in terms of biological
fitness.
Keith:
We do have historical records for the adoption of life
insurance. I researched this while looking into the
adoption of cryonics before I started writing on
memetics and found that the curves for England, France
and the US were parallel on semi-log paper with the US
following England by about 20 years and France
trailing England by almost 70 years.
Derek:
You should really publish this. It's a much better
example than the monkeys, and might even address
Bruce's challenge number 1 fairly convincingly.
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