Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA18601 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 6 Feb 2002 04:26:25 GMT Subject: Re: Fw: sex and the single meme Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 23:20:59 -0500 x-sender: wsmith1@camail.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-Id: <20020206042047.3D5FC1FD4E@camail.harvard.edu> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Philip Jonkers -
>I can't see why instinct has anything to do
>with meme-processing.
I'm sure the brain has instincts- reactions we can't do a thing about,
and I'm sure perception, if it doesn't depend upon them, is easily
affected by them.
Instinct is part of us, and as such, is part of how we perceive, and
perception is a big part of meme processing.
It is part of our processes, and thus, part of our memetic process.
That was all. Didn't mean it to be anything else.
>If instinct was that important wouldn't more
>animals have developed a culture too?
As for animals developing cultures, well, depends upon what you call
culture. A termite heirarchy, with all its parts, is a very unique
adaptation of evolution. Could it be called a culture? What parts of it
could be extended to produce our cultural processes? Is a chimpanzee
troupe a culture, with all of its social intrigues and grooming
practices, the sexual heirarchies and groupings? What parts of their
behavior could be part of our cultural processes? IMHO, I see no reason
whatsoever to call anything any other animal does culture, but, surely,
there are enough foreshadowings and processes within other species for
some studiers to have doubts.
Of course, much of human development is considered to be things we've had
to do because we _don't_ rely upon instinct....
- Wade
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