Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA25549 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 15 Feb 2001 13:39:23 GMT Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 08:11:01 +0000 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Darwinian evolution vs memetic evolution Message-ID: <20010215081101.A715@reborntechnology.co.uk> References: <20010208201954.AAA9140%camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> <3A8328F4.73C83319@pacbell.net> <20010209091819.C1178@reborntechnology.co.uk> <3A84449E.82F38FD0@pacbell.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.12i In-Reply-To: <3A84449E.82F38FD0@pacbell.net>; from bspight@pacbell.net on Fri, Feb 09, 2001 at 11:27:26AM -0800 From: Robin Faichney <robin@reborntechnology.co.uk> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Fri, Feb 09, 2001 at 11:27:26AM -0800, Bill Spight wrote:
> Dear Robin,
>
> > > But there is no germ line with memes. "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.
> >
> > Your logic works either way. If there is no germ line, no memeotype/
> > phemotype dichotomy, then is no way to distinguish between Lamarckism and
> > ordinary mutation.
>
> Ah, but there is. Memes are altered in such a way that they fit the
> environment better. Their survivability is enhanced.
I don't know why you say that. Seems to me it can go either way.
> That is not so with
> random mutation. Au contraire: random mutation is detrimental, on
> average.
Even if memetic mutation were entirely advantageous, that wouldn't make
it Lamarckian, because every change can be -- and in fact is probably
best -- viewed as a new generation.
-- Robin Faichney robin@reborntechnology.co.uk=============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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