So you've swallowed Richard Dawkins' idea of 'memes' whole, have you? Or is it Susan Blackmore you've taken 'memes' from? If you're a natural scientist (are you?), then reading Rev'd A. McGrath might help to set you straight about 'memes'.
Yes, ideas 'change.' But we've already distinguished here on the ASA list that 'evolve' and 'change' are not synonyms. Surely you're not arguing that 'ideas' are 'biological' things?
Mathematics might be the last discipline by priority to help you here.
G.A.
"Dehler, Bernie" <bernie.dehler@intel.com> wrote:
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Gregory Arago said:
“p.s. to Poe and Mytyk - 'ideas' don't 'evolve'; they are not biological 'things' (e.g. 'res cogitans')“
I think ideas do evolve. Memes, as compared to genes. They evolve from simple ideas to more complex. For just one obvious example, math:
1. counting
2. adding
3. subtraction
4. add/subtract with carry’s and borrows
5. multiplication/division
6. algebra
7. geometry
8. calculus
Etc.
Yes, not sequentially, but as a tree like bio evolution.
…Bernie
---------------------------------
Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!
To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Thu Nov 29 19:50:46 2007
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Thu Nov 29 2007 - 19:50:46 EST