Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 11:55:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Lawrence H. de Bivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Terminology and Quantification
In-Reply-To: <2CDFE2C8F598D21197C800C04F911B203492B0@DELTA.newhouse.akzonobel.nl>
Thanks, Derek. We'll modify our use of the term to fit your definition, as
well as for the term "cultural selection."
I believe, that "cultural selection," though, may not quite capture the
issue of there being a generic notion of 'fitness' in a system with regard
to its ability to receive, process, modify and accept, reject and manifest
memes.
It is in this sense that we have been using the term 'fitness' regarding
meme _hosts_. I'll think of a different term for this than 'fitness,' but
distinguish it from 'cultural selection' which sounds more like a general
trait that a whole culture (multiple hosts) might have, or sounds more
like a passive filter of memes than I am aiming for when I talk about the
ability of a single host to "receive, process, modify and accept, reject
and manifest memes."
Lawrence
On Thu, 22 Jul 1999, Gatherer, D. (Derek) wrote:
>Lawrence:
>
>A quick question regarding your meaning of the term 'fitness.' Is this
>term taken to mean the fitness of a meme per se to transmit it self or to
>influence the host system in which it lodges?
>
>Derek:
>
>The latter. In Cavallian cultural evolution theory (ie. memetics, since
>Cavalli's main disciple Kevin Laland uses the word meme now interchangeably
>weith the Cavallian 'cultural trait'), phenogenotypes have fitness. A
>phenogenotype is produced by an underlying genotype coupled with a cultural
>trait. The maximally fit phenogenotype has fitness w=1, and the less than
>maximally fit phenogenotypes have fitness w=1-s, where s is the selection
>pressure against them. The relative survival/reproductive success of the
>fittest phenogenotype will result in more of its genes, and also more of its
>cultural trait[s] (dependent of course on how transmissible the cultural
>trait[s] is/are).
>
>Lawrence:
>
>>Or is the term taken to mean
>>the fitness of a host to accept or reject foreign memes?
>
>
>Derek:
>
>No, but that is what Cavalli-Sforza and Feldman call cultural selection. It
>impinges on the transmissibility of cultural traits, but does not directly
>affect the fitness of the phenogenotypes that result from those traits.
>
>
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>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
>Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
>For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
>see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
>
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This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit