Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id HAA28191 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 17 Jan 2002 07:15:42 GMT Message-ID: <008d01c19f26$4e9a6740$4c87b2d1@teddace> From: "Dace" <edace@earthlink.net> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <F217O4SLC7mnRrqnZ6t00020384@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Do all memes die out or evolve? I think not. Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 23:12:20 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> >Just because memes are liable to arrive at an optimal state doesn't mean
> >they aren't still products of evolution. The same thing occurs in the
> >natural environment all the time. Organisms get to a certain point where
> >they fit their ecosystem perfectly.
> >
> I didn't realize evolution was about perfection. Are you sure you haven't
> conflated evolution with some outdated natural theological view long
> replaced by Darwin's evolution via selection?
No one has said anything about theology except you. Try not to be so
literal. We're just chatting here, Scott.
> There's the difference between stabilizing selection which would keep a
> feature of a population at a satisfactory (ie- just getting by) state
within
> a stable ecological context and directional selection which takes the
> population toward a different state "better" for a different ecological
> context when this context has itself changed, along with the playing
field.
Nice to learn some useful terminology. Thanks.
Ted
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