Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA09723 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 30 Oct 2000 16:41:10 GMT Subject: Re: culture as niche construction? Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 11:34:13 -0500 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "memetics list" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20001030163408.AAA9007@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On 10/30/00 10:00, Vincent Campbell said this-
>Some proponents of this view have suggested that human culture is the same
>thing- niche construction.
I personally see no reason to dismiss this viewpoint, and I'm rather in a
quandary, when I consider it, as to why it is not _the_ only way to look
at culture, especially with so many people waffling around with bird song
and animal cultures and chimp languages and all....
Yes, there is no reason whatsoever not to call all of human culture an
extracted form of termite mound.
E. O. Wilson would certainly nod....
What does this do to memetics? Makes it an analytical tool, I suspect,
with a possibility of technological utility. And, for me, it gets rid of
all the politically correct and incorrect prattle knocking about
concerning 'cultural evolution'.
- Wade
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