Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA21453 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 24 Jan 2002 04:32:57 GMT Message-ID: <014201c1a48f$c3013780$aa86b2d1@teddace> From: "Dace" <edace@earthlink.net> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <200201240027.g0O0QxS20992@sherri.harvard.edu> Subject: Re: Selfish memes? Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 20:29:48 -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
Wade:
> This is apparently from The Selfish Gene, somewhere...
>
> "Of course," Dawkins writes, "the personification of the gene is not to
> be taken literally ... Personification is sometimes a useful device, and
> for critics to accuse us of taking it literally is almost as stupid as
> taking it literally in the first place. Physicists are not literally
charmed
> by their particles and the critic who would so accuse them is a
> tiresome pedant."
There's no reason to assume that selfishness in some way inplies humanness.
So why is everyone jumping to the conlcusion that in ascribing
self-orientation to genes and memes I'm personifying them?
I smell a meme.
The meme in question stems from Descartes, who posited a fundamental divide
between human consciousness and the rest of nature, all of which, living or
not, is deterministic. That so many on this list would reflexively conclude
that motive equals human mentality demonstrates that this meme is alive and
well.
[from the Stangroom interview]
> "But the fundamental rule that DNA is selfish and looking after
> its own interests shines through, and all else is complication"
Looks like Dawkins is not infected with the Cartesian meme. Good for him.
Ted
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