From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@rogers.com)
Date: Fri 13 Feb 2004 - 11:29:56 GMT
At 03:37 PM 11/02/04 -0800, you wrote:
>EP does NOT argue that "social life is an expression
>of genes." contrary to Steven Thiele who wrote:
>"Evolutionary psychology/sociobiology is basically a
>branch of genetics and argues that social life is an
>expression of genes."
>
>EP argues that social life is a manifestation of a
>series of evolutionary processes.
Where EP is concerned with social life at all it makes the general claim
that human social (psychological) traits were shaped by genetic selection
in the EEA.
>Genes are BUT one element in such processes.
Right. There are at least two other factors, meme based culture and the
environment in which the social group lives. (You can't get social
approval for hunting seals in a desert.)
>To give all
>credit/causation to genes is as much nonsense as to
>give causal credit to memes.
Up to the last 4 words I was with you. I don't understand the objection to
memes being *a* link in a causal chain. Perhaps it is that "causal" is
being used in an unfamiliar way here.
Keith Henson
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