This work is about cultural evolution. Memetics and particularly Susan Blackmore’s memetic approach is examined as an example of a Darwinian Theory of cultural evolution. It is questioned whether Susan Blackmore’s account of cultural evolution has original insights and whether this account is sufficient for explaining the phenomenon of culture. Her account is examined theoretically and conceptually. This dissertation consists of four main parts. In the first part, the forerunners and the background of Susan Blackmore are outlined. In the second part, key points of Susan Blackmore’s memetic approach are summarized. The third part is devoted to criticisms of Susan Blackmore’s memetic approach from within the memetics and some of the shortcomings of it are reviewed. Finally, coherency of this memetic approach is evaluated in the perspective of social sciences and its implications for cultural studies are discussed. It is concluded that Blackmore’s theory of cultural evolution that takes gene-based evolution as a model has a number of shortcomings to shed a proper light on the matter of culture.
Key words: Evolution, cultural evolution, memetics, Susan Blackmore, culture, imitation, genes, memes.ABSTRACT!...............................................................................................................................!iii! ÖZ!...............................................................................................................................................!iv! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!.........................................................................................................!v! TABLE!OF!CONTENTS!...........................................................................................................!vi! INTRODUCTION!......................................................................................................................!8! CHAPTER!1!.............................................................................................................................!14! THE!FORERUNNERS!OF!SUSAN!BLACKMORE’S!MEMETIC!APPROACH!...............!14! 1.1.!Memetics:!A!Darwinian!Theory!on!Culture!..................................................................!14! 1.2.!The!Father!of!Memetics:!Richard!Dawkins!..................................................................!20! 1.3.!Philosopher!of!Memetics:!Daniel!Dennett!....................................................................!29! CHAPTER!2!.............................................................................................................................!38! THE!PRESENTER!OF!MEMETICS:!SUSAN!BLACKMORE!............................................!38! 2.1.!Universal!Darwinism:!The!Theory!of!Everything!......................................................!38! 2.2.!Actors!of!Darwinian!Scenario:!Replicators!..................................................................!40! 2.3.!Genes!or!Memes?!The!Relationship!of!the!Two!Replicators!..................................!42! 2.4.!Imitation:!Crucial!Point!for!Defining!Memes!...............................................................!45! 2.5.!What!is!Copying!in!Imitation?:!Copy\the\product!or!copy\the!instruction!.......!47! 2.6.!Technical!Problems!with!Memes!....................................................................................!49! 2.7.!The!Problems!To!Which!Memetics!Offers!Solutions!.................................................!52! 2.7.1.!Why!we!have!big!brains!...............................................................................................................!52! 2.7.2.!The!Problem!of!the!Origin!of!Language!.................................................................................!55! 2.7.3.The!Problem!of!Diversity!of!Sexual!Behavior!In!Modern!Times!.................................!57! 2.7.4.!The!Problem!of!Darwinian!Explanation!of!Altruism!.......................................................!59! 2.8.!Memeplexes:!Religion!and!the!Problem!of!Self!is!Explained!.................................!61! CHAPTER!3:!............................................................................................................................!67! THE!CRITICISMS!OF!SUSAN!BLACKMORE’S!MEMETIC!APPROACH!FROM! WITHIN!MEMETICS!.............................................................................................................!67! 3.!1.!Behaviorist!Criticisms!........................................................................................................!73! 3.2.!Mentalist!Criticisms!.............................................................................................................!79! 3.3.!Critiques!on!the!Way!of!Transmission,!or!Doubts!About!Imitation!.....................!88! 3.!4.!Anthropocentric!Bias!.........................................................................................................!94! 3.5.!Methodological!Problems!..................................................................................................!97! CHAPTER!4:!.........................................................................................................................!104!
CRITIQUES!OF!SUSAN!BLACKMORE’S!MEMETIC!APPROACH!FROM!OUTSIDE!OF! MEMETICS:!Four!Possible!Critiques!...........................................................................!104! 4.1.!Anthropological!Criticism:!The!matter!of!culture!..................................................!105! 4.2.!Metaphysical!criticism:!The!Problem!of!Analogy!...................................................!115! 4.3.!Discursive!criticism:!The!Ideology!of!Third!Culture!..............................................!123! 4.4.!Philosophical!Criticism:!The!Specter!of!Plato!..........................................................!133! CONCLUSION!.......................................................................................................................!144! REFERENCES:!......................................................................................................................!153
