Darwinian archeology and cultural evolution, thames and hutson ltd, london 2002, isbn 0500051186. In academic circles the meme concept, whilst having its dedicated supporters, has been viewed with suspicion by many, derision by some, and outright hostility by not a few. Darwinian archaeology and cultural evolution find, read and cite all. Updated daily, for more funny memes check our homepage.
Its been fortytwo years since dawkins gave birth to the idea of a meme as a cultural gene. Memetics, a field of study developed from the 80s onwards. Meme, unit of cultural information spread by imitation. Review of stephen shennan genes, memes, and human history. With the advent of precision genome editing, the ability to modify living organisms has proceeded with remarkable speed and breadth.
Evolutionary psychology plays virtually no role in shennans evolutionary archaeology. Memes if necessary, but not necessarily memes the concept of cultural evolution is central to any discussion of memes. Genes, race and human history nicholas wade drawing on startling new evidence from the mapping of the genome, an explosive new account of the genetic basis of race and its role in the human story. Birth of the worlds first genetically modified human babies, took place. An objection to the study of the evolution of memes in genetic terms although not to the existence of memes involves a perceived gap in the gene meme analogy. Susan blackmore is dedicated to understanding the scientific nature of consciousness. Genes, memes, and behavior, short course stanford summer. The concept of gene therapy arose during the 1960s and 1970s and is still in its infancy, meaning there is a paucity of reliable, longterm data on the safety and efficacy of this therapy. On memes and memetics in language ziran he guangdong university of foreign studies memetics is a theory for interpreting cultural evolution.
Among organisms that reproduce sexually, an individuals genotype comprises the entire complex of genes inherited from. Its a history book a narrative of the journey of our species through time. The future of human genome editing nature genetics. Darwinian archaeology and cultural by stephen shennan, 9780500051184, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Treating memes like genes tells us which are likely to spread. First true human clones were developed at the seoul national university in south korea. Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Memetics is the study of information and culture based on an analogy with darwinian evolution. Request pdf on jan 1, 2002, stephen shennan and others published genes, memes, and human history. Competition between memes and genes different mechanisms of evolution though memetic and genetic evolution are subjected to the same basic principles of blind variation and natural selection on the basis of fitness, memetic evolution is basically a much more flexible mechanism. It starts out with a couple of chapters about human behavioural ecology and cultural evolution. The first ever human clone was successfully developed at the advanced cell technologies, usa. There is so much more to say about this subject, but i decided to start off.
When a sensation from a sensory organ reaches the brain, it is processed against existing templates formed by both genetic predisposition and memory, the output of this process constitutes perception. Drawing on a wide range of research and sources, olson provides startling new perspectives on the invention of agriculture, the peopling of the americas, the origins of language, the history of the jews, and much more. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. As the definition of a meme has evolved, does it still make sense to think of them as the. Dawkins is an outspoken atheist and is intensely critical of creationist and intelligent design religious beliefs surrounding the origins of life. Understanding genetic factors and genetic disorders is important in learning more about promoting health and preventing disease. In this theoretical but readable study, shennan explores the potential for a neodarwinian evolutionary approach to some of the major concerns and issues within archaeology in recent times. Thats about a million lifetimes for internet memes.
Some genetic changes have been associated with an increased risk of. The human genome project hgp refers to the international year effort, formally begun in october 1990 and completed in 2003, to discover all the estimated 20,00025,000 human genes and make them accessible for further biological study. Like jared diamonds guns, germs, and steel, mapping human history is a groundbreaking synthesis of science and history. Proponents describe memetics as an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer.
For the study of internet memes, see internet meme. And its a transformative textbook of medicine, with insights that will give health care providers immense new powers to treat, prevent and cure. Genetics research studies how individual genes or groups of genes are involved in health and disease. Review genes, memes and human history universal darwinism. Inconveniently, as nicholas wade argues in a troublesome inheritance, the consensus view cannot be right. Memes, invented to suggest a strong analogy with genes, are ideas that spread through human cultures and across the generations. Darwinian archaeology and cultural evolution, by shennan isbn 9780500051184 ship for free. A critical reappraisal by kate distin and not by genes alone. The meme has certainly achieved a vibrant presence in popular consciousness. As biological information is passed through genes, so cultural information is passed through what richard dawkins has termed memes.
Genes can only be transmitted from parents or parent in the case of asexual reproduction to offspring. Learn more about the history of memes in this article. Its a shop manual, with an incredibly detailed blueprint for building every human cell. Shes exploring the existence of a new class of meme, spread by human technology. Darwinian archaeology and cultural evolution find, read and cite all the research you need on. Human genetics an introduction to genetic analysis. Clinton richard dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, ethologist and author who is known for coining the word meme in his 1976 book the selfish gene. It was because of the possible existence of evolutionary processes beyond the gene based biological that. For example, the catholic church is a huge set of memes, such as certain ideas, rituals, behaviors, clothes and architectural styles, all centered around the meme of god. So the gene meme analogy causes uneasiness and the geneticsmemetics.
The genes, memes, and behavior course at stanford summer examines how natural selection operates to shape successful genes in the gene pool, how cultural selection operates to shape successful memes in the pool of cultural ideas, and how selection by consequences operates to shape successful behaviors in our repertoires. Stephen begins by saying that he was originally turned on to the idea of cultural evolution by reading the chapter on memes in richard dawkins 1976 book the selfish gene. A meme is the cultural equivalent of a gene a bit of useful imitative information that passes from one person to another, but that can evolve in the process such as the directions for tying shoelaces, the multiplication tables, and a joke that spreads through the population. And in fact, we know that populations have changed in the past few thousand yearsto be lactose tolerant, for example, and to survive at high altitudes. The templates and the percept are memes as we will discuss in the next chapter. Darwinian archaeology and cultural evolution, by stephen shennan, 2002.
It is not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole of genes, memes and human history revolves around the interplay of behavioural ecology and dual inheritance, and on the transformation of behavioural ecological models by dual inheritance theory. Darwinian archaeology and cultural evolution 01 by stephen shennan isbn. How culture transformed human evolution, by peter j. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 426k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Memes also compete, in their case for human attention and memory. Her latest work centers on the existence of memes little bits of knowledge, lore, habit that seem to spread themselves using human brains as mere carriers. This newest science animation is about genes, dna and chromosomes. The genotype determines the hereditary potentials and limitations of an individual from embryonic formation through adulthood. Hghg history and geography of human genes 10 hss homo sapiens sapiens 4 ir industrial revolution 47 kya kiloyears ago thousands of years ago 4 k parameter affecting rate at which higher iqs evolve appendix 3 m1, m2 subgroups of the mongoloids 12 me middle east 147 x. Human evolution, the consensus view insists, ended in prehistory.
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