Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA12795 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 15 Nov 2000 13:32:18 GMT Message-ID: <A4400389479FD3118C9400508B0FF2300410D0@DELTA.newhouse.akzonobel.nl> From: "Gatherer, D. (Derek)" <D.Gatherer@organon.nhe.akzonobel.nl> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Tests show a human side to chimps Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 14:27:34 +0100 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Wade: (correctly attributed this time - sorry for misattribution)
What sort of experiment is possible (if indeed a sort of experiment is
possible) that will create the conditions wherein these replicators can
be shown to scientific rigor to be independent?
Derek:
I don't know. Experiments on human are fraught with ethical and
methodological difficulties. The best I think we can hope for are
retrospective analyses, eg. along the lines of the Peruvian water-boiling
case study. If you can show that a novel cultural variant has a selective
advantage or disadvantage which does not affect the constitution of the gene
pool of that population, then you have a good case.
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