Re: (Sociology's problems)

From: Danny Iny (danny@dandesign.co.il)
Date: Thu 12 Feb 2004 - 18:29:31 GMT

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    Keith, I'd appreciate some references to look further into these issues
    (it's probably just my own lack of exposure to evidence, but realization of a sharp stone's usefulness catalyzing the evolution of memetics sounds too much like a Just So Story).

    > Throwing stones, "manuports" are found in places where hominid transport
    > from distant rock outcrops is the most likely reason they are found (Mary
    > Leakey). As to why the hominids ventured out from the trees, it was
    > probably for meat. (Chimps *really* crave meat (Jane Goodall) and there
    is
    > no reason our remote ancestors didn't also.) They were probably killing
    > and eating young antelopes, same as baboons do today.
    >
    > Given a million years, one of those thrown rocks would have hit something
    > hard and broken. Chimps can figure out the use of shape edges to cut down
    > a reward. The can learn to smash rocks on hard surfaces to make the sharp
    > edges. Some researchers found this out when they tried to teach a chimp
    to
    > chip rocks and the chimp persisted in making sharp fragments by smashing
    > his stones on the concrete floor (rather than on another rock).
    >
    > Some chance observation by a bright hominid that her recovered but now
    > broken in half "lion stone" was useful in hacking off a chunk of a large
    > carcass the group chanced upon during the walk back to the trees where
    they
    > were sleeping seems to have been enough to start the evolution of our
    > entire meme based material culture. (This is a petrocentric view of
    > course. The bag might have been an important meme too but the supporting
    > evidence didn't survive.)
    >
    > >Memetics is supposedly derived from an evolutionary outlook, yet one of
    > >the most fundamental evolutionary issues, the evolution of memes, has not
    > >been attended to.
    >
    > That's a good point. If the above isn't enough evidence for the start of
    > meme evolution and you want me to fill in web sites and book sources
    > supporting this view, let me know.
    >
    > Keith

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