Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 08:58:10 +0200
From: "Gatherer, D. (Derek)" <D.Gatherer@organon.nhe.akzonobel.nl>
Subject: RE: Dawkins' Mutation Test for Replicators
To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Bill:
By contrast, we do consider the washing of food in the ocean by Japanese
rhesus monkeys to be cultural is that that behavior is learned and passed
on, and arose from the variation of feeding behavior by one individual
female.
Derek:
Sorry to bore everybody yet again on this subject, but the rhesus monkey
potato washing trick was taught to them by their keeper. There is no
evidence of any imitative behaviour among these monkeys. The whole legend
that has arisen around these famous Japanese monkeys is well... just a
legend.
Again sorry to keep repeating myself in this pedantic manner, but the
potato-washing monkey culture example keeps cropping up here as it it were a
true story ....
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