New papers: Mathematical Models for Memetics by Jeremy Kendel and Kevin Laland etc.

From: Bruce Edmonds (b.edmonds@mmu.ac.uk)
Date: Tue Aug 22 2000 - 11:50:48 BST

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Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 11:50:48 +0100
From: Bruce Edmonds <b.edmonds@mmu.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Policy Modelling
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Subject: New papers: Mathematical Models for Memetics by Jeremy Kendel and Kevin  Laland etc.
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    New paper at JoM-EMIT:

                            MATHEMATICAL MODELS
                                FOR MEMETICS

                Jeremy R. Kendal & Kevin N. Laland
       Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, Department of Zooloogy,
          University of Cambridge, Madingley, Cambridge CB3 8AA
                 Tel.: 01954 210301 Fax.: 01954 210247
                         jrk31@cam.ac.uk

    Abstract

        1 - Introduction
        2 - Introducing an Established Modelling Paradigm
        3 - Imitate the Imitators
        4 - Conclusions

    Notes
    References

    Abstract

        The science of memetics aims to understand the evolution of
        socially transmitted cultural traits. Recently attention has focused
        on the interaction between memetic and genetic evolution, a
        phenomenon described as meme-gene co-evolution. Whether
        cultural evolution occurs purely at the level of the meme, or
        through meme-gene interaction, a body of formal theoretical
        work already exists that can be readily employed to model
        empirical data and test theoretical hypotheses. This is cultural
        evolution and gene-culture co-evolutionary theory, a branch of
        theoretical population genetics (Cavalli-Sforza & Feldman [6];
        Boyd & Richerson [3]; Feldman & Laland [12]). We reject the
        argument that meaningful differences exist between memetics
        and these population genetics methods. The goal of this article is
        to point out the similarities between memetics and cultural
        evolution and gene-culture co-evolutionary theory, and to
        illustrate the potential utility of the models to memetics. We
        illustrate how the theory can be applied by developing a simple
        illustrative model to test a hypothesis from the memetics
        literature.

        Keywords: brain size, cultural evolution, gene-culture
        co-evolution, meme, memetics

    Available at:
            http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/2000/vol4/kendal_jr&laland_kn.html

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    And a historical note:
                        Forefathers of Memetics: Gabriel
                      Tarde and the Laws of Imitation

                          Paul Marsden
              Graduate Research Centre in the Social Sciences
                         University of Sussex
                       PaulMarsden@msn.com

    Available at:
            http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/2000/vol4/marsden_p.html

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