Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id JAA06444 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 29 Jan 2002 09:39:29 GMT Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020129042444.02c5b7b0@pop.cogeco.ca> X-Sender: hkhenson@pop.cogeco.ca X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 04:37:13 -0500 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca> Subject: RE: Abstractism In-Reply-To: <LAW2-F1232LTrpwACkW0000fa31@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 01:12 PM 28/01/02 -0800, "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com>
wrote:
snip
>I've heard that the "gene" concept has several problems that obscure a
>clear picture of what a gene is.
snip
Dawkins wrestles with this problem at great length in (I think) _Extended
Phenotype._ Genes in some ways are even more of a problem than memes are
because any stretch of DNA can be split and spliced in the process of
crossover and reduction to form sex cells.
The long discourse Dawkins goes through is worth reading even if he never
comes to an entirely satisfactory statement of what a gene is because of
all sorts of corner cases in, for example birds. He finally comes to an
operational definition that a gene is a stretch of chromosome which stays
in one piece "long enough" to affect (through the bodies it builds) its own
frequency.
Keith Henson
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