From: "Paul Marsden" <PaulMarsden@email.msn.com>
To: "Rob Clewley" <enrhc@bris.ac.uk>,
Subject: Flinn article on evolutionary models of culture
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 11:56:55 +0100
You probably have already seen it, but I have just read a most useful paper
in the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior (vol. 18 1997) by Mark Flinn
of the University of Missouri. In this well written article, Flinn reviews
evolutionary theories of culture, distinguishing between four main
approaches
1)Dual inheritance/coevolution models
2)Cultural selection/mind parasite models
3)Evolved Psychological mechanism models/EP
4)Behavioural ecology models
Flinn then attempts to provide a synthesis of these approaches by
integrating them within an evolutionary social learning framework.
Flinn puts memetics in category 2 - I have a somewhat broader understanding
of memetics, as you all know, but that is another issue. The article is
comprehensive and provides useful constructive criticism of evolutionary
approaches to culture. I think it is one of the key papers for all
memeticists.
Flinn, M.V. (1997) "Culture and the Evolution of Social Learning" Evolution
and Human Behavior 18: 23-67
Paul Marsden
Graduate Research Centre in the Social Sciences
University of Sussex
e-mail PaulMarsden@msn.com
tel/fax (44) (0) 117 974 1279
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission:
http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/
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