Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsstat.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!utcsstat!laura From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: instincts and genes Message-ID: <787@utcsstat.UUCP> Date: Mon, 18-Jul-83 10:43:06 EDT Article-I.D.: utcsstat.787 Posted: Mon Jul 18 10:43:06 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 18-Jul-83 13:04:43 EDT References: <346@houti.UUCP> Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada Lines: 32 Until Tom Craver reads the Selfish Gene, i will have to quote from it to discredit some of his over-generalisations. Richard Dawkins is a respected Zoologist, and I am not a zoologist but have a strong interest in zoology. I would rather read Dawkins than listen to laura creighton if i were you ... the selfish gene is not a discussion of genes from an anthropomorphic point of view. The Selfish gene does not make a case for altruism as instincts in animals, it MOST EMPHATICALLY claims that REASON (ie the human mind/brain) is the only hope for altruism (if that is desirable) because IT DOES NOT OCCUR IN NATURE. Now these discussions are in the forefront of zoology these days, and it has become vogue to present animals that "behave altruistically" as counters to this claim. So far, no one has brought me one that has actually been behaving altruistically, given that your unit of natural selection is something smaller than an individual. i have yet to read of one either. this does not mean that they do not exist, for we may have not found them yet. On the other hand, if we find them, they are very much worth studying, perhaps more than anything else. I am willing to discuss this, one of my favourite topics of discussion with *anyone* who has read the Selfish Gene. I am not willing to discuss it with anyone else unless they are an ethologist. netnews does not have the bandwidth of a verbal conversation. i would rather that richard dawkins made a lot of money for writing an excellent book. Some day i may write an excellent book, and I would rather that no one typed the whole thing in to distribute over usenet. I see no other way i can adequately present my ideas. Laura Creighton utzoo!utcsstat!laura