Re: Darwinian evolution vs memetic evolution

From: wilkins (wilkins@wehi.EDU.AU)
Date: Fri Feb 09 2001 - 04:51:22 GMT

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Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2001 15:51:22 +1100
From: wilkins <wilkins@wehi.EDU.AU>
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Subject: Re: Darwinian evolution vs memetic evolution
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    Bill Spight wrote:
    >
    > Dear Wade,
    >
    > > >"Play it, Sam, for old times'
    > > >sake," is altered by the environment to "Play it again, Sam," and the
    > > >alteration is passed on. That's Lamarckian evolution.
    > >
    > > Or "Play it, Sam" becomes "Play it again, Sam" because forces from the
    > > environment gave it no other choice.
    > >
    > > Lamarck didn't have a thing to do with it. There were no necks straining
    > > to reach the treetops.
    > >
    >
    > Ah! The light begins to dawn. :-)
    >
    > Lamarckian evolution has two distinguishing characteristics: 1)
    > inheritance of adaptations (not just selection); 2) intentional
    > adaptation (which is then inherited). We are focusing on different
    > aspects. For me, 1) is sufficient to make evolution Lamarckian; for you
    > 2) is necessary. A question of terminology, no?
    >
    In an essay that is coming out in a book published this month, I
    distinguish 3 kinds of Lamarckism: Type 1 (soft inheritance), Type 2
    (intentional and directed variation) and Type 3 (progressive evolution).
    I can send a PDF of a penultimate draft to anyone who is interested, and
    excerpts of it were posted in the talk.origins newsgroup < http://x56.deja.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=651195767> 

    -- 
John Wilkins, Head, Graphic Production, The Walter and Eliza Hall 
Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia
Homo homini aut deus aut lupus - Erasmus of Rotterdam
<http://www.users.bigpond.com/thewilkins/darwiniana.html>
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