Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study

J 2020

Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study

CHVAJA, Radim

Základní údaje

Originální název

Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study

Autoři

CHVAJA, Radim (203 Česká republika, garant, domácí)

Vydání

Perspectives on Science, USA, The MIT Press, 2020, 1063-6145

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Článek v odborném periodiku

Obor

60301 Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

Stát vydavatele

Spojené státy

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Odkazy

URL

Kód RIV

RIV/00216224:14210/20:00116162

Organizační jednotka

Filozofická fakulta

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00350

Klíčová slova anglicky

Dual-inheritance cultural evolution; memetics; gene-culture coevolution; history of science; case study

Štítky

rivok

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam, Recenzováno

Změněno: 11. 2. 2021 12:16, Mgr. Radim Chvaja, Ph.D.

Anotace

V originále

Although the theory of memetics appeared highly promising at the beginning, it is no longer considered a scientific theory among contemporary evolutionary scholars. This study aims to compare the genealogy of memetics with the historically more successful gene-culture coevolution theory. This comparison is made in order to determine the constraints that emerged during the internal development of the memetics theory that could bias memeticists to work on the ontology of meme units as opposed to hypotheses testing, which was adopted by the gene-culture scholars. I trace this problem back to the diachronic development of memetics to its origin in the gene-centered anti-group-selectionist argument of George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins. The strict adoption of this argument predisposed memeticists with the a priori idea that there is no evolution without discrete units of selection, which in turn, made them dependent on the principal separation of biological and memetic fitness. This separation thus prevented memeticists from accepting an adaptationist view of culture which, on the contrary, allowed gene-culture theorists to attract more scientists to test the hypotheses, creating the historical success of the gene-culture coevolution theory.

Návaznosti

MUNI/A/0858/2019, interní kód MU

Název: Výzkumné trendy v současné religionistice (Akronym: VYTRESOUR)

Investor: Masarykova univerzita, Výzkumné trendy v současné religionistice, DO R. 2020_Kategorie A - Specifický výzkum - Studentské výzkumné projekty

Přiložené soubory

WhyDidMemeticsFailComparativeCaseStudy.pdf

Vyhledat podobné dokumenty

Citovat

CHVAJA, Radim. Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study. Perspectives on Science. USA: The MIT Press, 2020, roč. 28, č. 4, s. 542-570. ISSN 1063-6145. Dostupné z: https://dx.doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00350.

@article{1673735,
   author = {Chvaja, Radim},
   article_location = {USA},
   article_number = {4},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00350},
   keywords = {Dual-inheritance cultural evolution; memetics; gene-culture coevolution; history of science; case study},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {1063-6145},
   journal = {Perspectives on Science},
   title = {Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study},
   url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00350},
   volume = {28},
   year = {2020}
}

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AU  - Chvaja, Radim
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TI  - Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study
JF  - Perspectives on Science
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SP  - 542-570
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KW  - Dual-inheritance cultural evolution
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L2  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00350
N2  - Although the theory of memetics appeared highly promising at the beginning, it is no longer considered a scientific theory among contemporary evolutionary scholars. This study aims to compare the genealogy of memetics with the historically more successful gene-culture coevolution theory. This comparison is made in order to determine the constraints that emerged during the internal development of the memetics theory that could bias memeticists to work on the ontology of meme units as opposed to hypotheses testing, which was adopted by the gene-culture scholars. I trace this problem back to the diachronic development of memetics to its origin in the gene-centered anti-group-selectionist argument of George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins. The strict adoption of this argument predisposed memeticists with the a priori idea that there is no evolution without discrete units of selection, which in turn, made them dependent on the principal separation of biological and memetic fitness. This separation thus prevented memeticists from accepting an adaptationist view of culture which, on the contrary, allowed gene-culture theorists to attract more scientists to test the hypotheses, creating the historical success of the gene-culture coevolution theory.
ER  -

CHVAJA, Radim. Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study. \textit{Perspectives on Science}. USA: The MIT Press, 2020, roč.~28, č.~4, s.~542-570. ISSN~1063-6145. Dostupné z: https://dx.doi.org/10.1162/posc\_{}a\_{}00350.

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