Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id UAA15685 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 20 Feb 2001 20:06:32 GMT Message-ID: <001301c09b7d$7dfb1c80$8502bed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745C8B@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Subject: Re: Lesser genes than expected Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 21:38:52 +0100 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 X-RBL-Warning: (orbs.dorkslayers.com) 194.7.1.5 is listed by dorkslayers.com Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Vincent,
I wrote,
> > How would a gene ( a biological entitiy) be able, in a short nic of time
> > to answer a question raised by the environment !?
> > IMO, it can 't !!>
You wrote,
> It depends on what you're looking for genes to do. If you're saying
> 'can genes_alone_make brains?' then the answer has to be yes. If you're
> saying 'can genes_alone_produce minds?' I would still say yes. If you
> saying 'can genes_alone_produce what's in minds?' then the answer is,
IMHO,no.
<< Of course !! Genes are in my book, the form, memes are the fill up.
> But how genuinely different are we? What does it mean to say we are
> different from each other? It is our socio-cultural environment that
> determines our specific means of communication (i.e. not our capacity for
> language, but whatever specific language we are brought up speaking), and
> that, in turn, arguably shapes our thinking. But that specific language,
> not matter how long it is spoken for, never becomes encoded in our genes.
> No-one has ever been born speaking a specific language. It's always
learnt,
> as is most other traits we call cultural (I want to leave some room here
for
> behavioural characteristics that may have genetic bases, like mate
> selection).
<< In this I follow Jess Tauber his explanation. It is what I have in mind.
See Post Monday 19 Feb 2001...
But I have a few comments on my own...
" Whatever specific language we are brought up speaking and that in turn
arguably shapes our thinking. "
Mayby it was not your intention, but like you wrote it, it seems to me you
make some kind of hiërachial system for languages here.
It sounds to me, that you brought up with English are better off than
someone
else and that ' thinking in English ' gives a better result...
Maybe I am in the wrong here, I am probably, but I got a odd feeling about
this....
You want to leave some room for behavioural characteristics that may have
genetic bases, like mate selecteion.
Here IMO you don 't count in the possibility that mate selection in some
cases has nothing to do with genetic bases at all.
In some countries marriages are based on a mutual agreement between
two families. The son of one marries the daughter of the other. Period !!
Genes has nothing to do with this. Here memes of a cultural nature deter-
mines which genes get inherited by the progeny.
And I wonder in how many cases this a common practice in our oh so
free Western world !?
Best,
Kenneth
( I am, because we are)
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