Gregory's Server@Radical_EgoCom Indeed :) Memes are a bad model, difficult to apply. But they at least allow us to take historical contingencies into account. If we see a cultural feature, we can investigate the conditions under which that "meme" tends to "evolve." The cultural traits that are universal persist across a wide range of environments, and are quite probably genetic rather than memetic. Change the conditions, change which "memes" are "fit."
|
3 comments
@DrDanMarshall @Radical_EgoCom One thing I did like about Graeber and the other David's book was the concept of schismogenesis. It introduces a still deterministic but very chaotic "force" into cultural evolution. By contrast, too many anthropologists seem to treat "cultural evolution" as more deterministic than how modern biologists think biological *development* is. Evolution is a messy, chaotic bitch, and people who talk about cultural evolution should keep that in mind. |
@DrDanMarshall
While certain universal cultural traits may have genetic components, the emphasis should be placed on understanding cultural evolution and social dynamics rather than reducing everything to genetic determinism. The concept of memes is limited in its ability to explain the complexities of cultural change and evolution. A more nuanced analysis of historical contingencies and social structures is needed that shapes the transmission and evolution of cultural traits.