Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id UAA12796 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 23 Jun 2001 20:12:20 +0100 Message-ID: <001b01c0fc1d$b9e4bac0$98a3bed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745F1B@inchna.stir.ac.uk><3B2F5E10.759C5BF7@bioinf.man.ac.uk> <3B2F712C.18813CC3@bioinf.man.ac.uk> Subject: Re: sexual selection and memes Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2001 21:49:41 +0200 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Taylor <Christopher.Taylor@man.ac.uk>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 5:35 PM
Subject: Re: sexual selection and memes
What this amounts to is 'good memes'
sexual selection. This is a version of the classic 'good genes' reason
for sexual selection (my bright orange arse indicates I'm carrying high
fitness alleles); but in this case, the badge indicates that the
potential father has experienced extensive paternal care as a young
bird, and will therefore repeat this learned behaviour when it is itself
a parent. However apart from the ability to display this phenotypic
plasticity, no actual genes are being selected for here, even though
this is undeniably sexual selection.
Hi Chris,
Just in addition to what I posted yesterday and to what you have written
above,
IMO it could work the other way round too.
If for example, a boy and a girl meet, both with no parental investment
whatsoever in getting them a sexual education, the results are quit
frightening at the least.
' Good genes ' for sexual selection are overpowered by the ' prime instinct
'
of several other genes and behaviors.
The results of such a " dis- ability " are extensive over- reactions and
sometimes violent behavior.
In a practical way, we had to ' cool ' down the boy and had to give both
the prime directives about sexual behavior between man and woman.
On some of the other points raised,
In cases like above you see how strong cultural transmissions can be.
In Belgium, here, still sexual education and sexuality per se are some
kind of taboos. The results of not persuing horizontal transmission, that
is widespread education and information about the subjects, are keeping
alive IMO deadly vertical transmissions, whereby not only young lives
are getting destroyed but whereby memetic routes of transmission are
frozen in time.
Behaviors are here selected where they ought to be not.
Not to mention the judicial problems if anything goes really wrong,....
Best,
Kenneth
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