Re: [ontolog-forum] Dennett on the Darwinism of Memes

[MAXWELL GILLMORE <maxwellrgillmore@xxxxxxxxx>]

I must correct some points you made when  comparing memes to genes 

• the stretching did not lead to mutation,  a mutation  lead to some giraffe having better ability to reach higher leaves and therefore gave it an advantage in survival.   over millions of years longer necks meant  the gene was favoured by natural selection
• cross pollination of plants is NOT  contrary to Darwinian Evolution.  Animals cross-fertilise mandatarily
• crossing between different species is genetically fatal  
• grafting of plant species has nothing to do with sexual reproduction  (it is better compared to a heart transplant) 
  
  

A meme may be usefully  analagous to Darwinian selection but, at least for the time being we have not found a direct genetic connection.  Nevertheless memes are subject to selection.

 

On 10/04/2013, at 10:39 AM, Pavithra wrote:

Hello,

Words are not things.  "Words" representation things if they are nouns.  memes are ideas that spreads from person to person??

Darwinism and theory of evolution explains how living organisms evolve over  few generations according to the needs/usage etc. According to him Giraffe has long neck, because they keep stretching their neck to eat branches and eventually it caused a genetic mutation to  aid survival -- a process known as "natural selection." These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation.

 Darwin does not take cross pollination ( for lack of better word)  of plants and animals and between different species that happens in one generation and produce offspring of  blended types  into consideration.   A Lion and Tiger may have a Liger for a child.   You can actually cut a branch of one fruit tree and put it  another fruit tree branch stub and tie it up and it may bear the fruit of the first tree kind..  There is all sorts of intervention that happens to change the way species of plants and animal world to evolve  into  something new and different not only by genetic mutation due to thousands of years of  usage or need for survival but due to cross pollination.   I know this is a thesis for genetic decoding not fiction.  

I still have to read the book listed below..

Pavithra   
 

---

From: John Bottoms <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: [ontolog-forum] <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 5:28 PM
Subject: [ontolog-forum] Dennett on the Darwinism of Memes

Daniel Dennett's next book will be out in a few weeks and I had the
opportunity to hear him talk about how memes obey the tenets of Darwinism.

The title of his book is, "Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking".
(not available yet,
http://www.amazon.com/Intuition-Pumps-Other-Tools-Thinking/dp/0393082067)

His argument starts by asking if words are things. Then he argues that
if words are things then we should consider memes as things also. He
goes on to illustrate that memes follow the basic three principles of
Darwinism.

His arguments are compelling and I wonder where they belong in the grand
ontologies of entities. Are memes a new construct, or do memes simply
replicate a known construct?

-John Bottoms
  FirstStar Systems
  Concord, MA USA


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