On 8/5/06, Ashish Gulhati <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Would not agree with this without serious evidence. We just don't
> know that's
> all.
It's very simple: reading the right books conveys a much greater
survival
benefit to a human being than does pretty much anything biological. As
does access to good medical care.
By reading the right books, I suppose you are talking about the
book "The Selfish Meme" by Kate Distin ;-). Serendipitously, I just finished
reading the book. Even in the book the author argues that certain memes
survive because of the biological and psychological makeup of humans.
While access to medical care does increase the longetivity and quality
of human life, it does not alter the basic recipe of life - the DNA (unless
you are talking about medicines which cause certain changes in the
genetic makeup of humans).
It is a fact that biological evolution (propagated through genes) is much
slower than cultural evolution (propagated through memes). But you
are discounting the fact biological evolution has had a headstart of
several billion years over cultural evolution. The view that cultural
evolution can replace biological evolution is misplaced.
> The high incidence of diabetes and early heart deaths among Indians
> may well
I'd think this has more to do with a high calorie diet (cultural)
than with
anything genetic. Even those genetically predisposed to diabetes can
generally fend off full-blown diabetes with proper diet and exercise
(which can happen by reading books, or acting on the advice of a
health practitioner).
My point is not that biological evolution has ceased in humans, but
that cultural / memetic evolution is more relevant to the survival of
human individuals (and cultures) than is anything biological.
What if something like AIDS sweeps the earth and is hard to eradicate
and difficult to control. Especially if it is a air-borne or water-borne
microbe which multiplies rapidly. Some people might be more resistant
to such diseases than others. Cultural evoution needs people to
survive. What is people themselves are threatened ?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2283351.stm
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/1715/edition_id/27/format/html/displaystory.html
Recommended reading:
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/selfish06/selfish06_index.html
Read the section on retroviruses. Biological evolution via mutation by
viruses is vastly underestimated.
-- Vinayak
