Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id MAA04796 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 13 Nov 2000 12:37:34 GMT Subject: RE: Tests show a human side to chimps Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 07:34:20 -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 Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20001113123411.AAA7237@camailp.harvard.edu@[205.240.180.176]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Gatherer, D. (Derek) --
>Not quite. The patterned noise is culturally mediated by imitation.
Yup. Whether or not that mediation _is_ the pattern, well, that's
memetics.
In this vein....
_If_ one claims that birdsong is memetic, is that not camping with the
sociobiologists? And, once one is so encamped, isn't memetics itself
tautological?
I'm baffled here mostly because those who will claim that birds have
memes seem to be against the sociobiologists in other scenes.
Not that I'm unwilling to give cultural imitation to birds, it's just
that I'm unwilling then to call it anything unique, like a meme. I'm
totally willing to call it a behavioral characteristic, and to look for a
meaning behind culture from the sociobiologic outposts.
- Wade
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