Re: What/Who selects memes?

From: Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Tue Oct 02 2001 - 23:21:35 BST

  • Next message: salice: "Re: What/Who selects memes?" 

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Subject: Re: What/Who selects memes?
Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 18:21:35 -0400
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From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
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    Hi salice -

    >Hmmm, it depends on what you include in culture. Basic genetically
    >factors like sex and nature are surely to be found in most cultures.

    It does indeed depend what one includes. I only include human artifact,
    personally, while I see proto-cultural developments in many areas, like
    spiders' webs and birdsong and primate groups. Otherwise, it all gets too
    general. Sex, while found in all sexual creatures, is most certainly not
    a requirement of a culture. It's not even required for life. It has been
    selected for by evolution.

    >And these "fundamental" things can change.

    The human animal itself has not changed in over 50,000 years, and many
    would say that's short-sighted. Where culture comes from may not, also,
    have changed at all in that time. Like a tree, culture is seen as the
    leaves and the seasonal variations, but it all came from one seed, which
    is no longer known but remains.

    >So, are supermodels more aesthetic than Rubens Women these days
    >because of changed genes or does the culture dictate which genes are
    >"good"?

    Are supermodels the ultimate in feminine aesthetic at all? Cultural
    appreciation of women certainly fluctuates, but I'm not at all sure
    supermodels are dropping progeny left and right.

    - Wade

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