Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA19958 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 30 Jul 2001 15:38:22 +0100 X-Authentication-Warning: rugth1.phys.rug.nl: www-data set sender to P.A.E.Jonkers@phys.rug.nl using -f To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Logic still: What survives in `survival of the fittest'? Message-ID: <996503758.3b6570ceae0fa@rugth1.phys.rug.nl> Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 16:35:58 +0200 (CEST) From: Philip Jonkers <P.A.E.Jonkers@phys.rug.nl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit User-Agent: IMP/PHP IMAP webmail program 2.2.5 X-Originating-IP: 129.125.13.3 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>Philip says:
>I'm sorry if this is source of confusion. I hope I can settle
>this once and for all. With `fittest' I do not
>mean to denote a species being superior in an absolute sense.
>More so in a relative sense instead. That is, I refer to
>the best adapted species compared to other species occupying
>the same positions in the food chain (better yet `food web'):
>peer-species, if you like. These are the species that compete
>one and other for the resources they are designed for to exploit
>by evolution (not creation!). Species taking no part in this
>relative struggle are bound to be engaged in other struggles.
>Each of these struggles, local competitions, has a winner
>: this is what I meant with the `fittest'.
I'm a little embarrassed guys. Some moments after a left the
university when I wrote the above argument, it occurred to
me that the real entity that survives in the
`survival of the fittest' has to be the GENE (see
`the selfish gene' by Dawkins). Individuals perish (thereby
losing their unique genome consistently), species
evolve (and thereby their genome changes), the genes are
the only entities that have the potential to persist for
thousands of generations. Then with `fittest' is
meant the genes which are best adapted and best suited
and yield individuals that are advantageously developed.
The best genes produce the best survival machines. There is
a selective pressure towards prevalence of genes that produce
the best survival machines. It is our through our taxonomous
tradition to categorize survival machines into distinct boxes
called species. With respect to genes `fighting it out' this
policy then is a little misleading, artificial and obscuring.
Therefore, on behalf of Dawkins: its the gene that is implicitly
denoted in the slogan `the survival of the fittest'.
Cheers,
Philip.
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