* From: Doyle Saylor
Greetings Economists,
On Jun 4, 2007, at 11:29 AM, Charles Brown wrote:
I'm thinking that at human origins, the altruism that gave humans
the
biggest adaptive advantage is not genetically, but culturally
determined, or
even stronger that culture _is_ essentially an altruistic influence
on
humans.
Doyle;
I would think language began much further back than 40 50 thousand
years ago.
^^^^
CB: Yes, more like 200,000 years ago.
^^^^^
Primates had communities some tens of million years. It's
only when symbolic expression took off and that seems to be the clear
boundary long after the animal modern humans appeared that a great
transformation could take place. I think it a caution to claim too
much for language, and not enough for culture. Unless the culture
exchanges and saves information, as it were spends a lot of labor in
accumulating information to express, the multiplication of resources
can't have been done. Harvesting information, not just making stone
tools that require forethought really matters. The very beginning at
the foundation of religious cults is theorizing how social knowledge is
shared. Therefore how to add knowledge culturally. And therefore make
a common culture which can't work unless it benefits the group as a
whole otherwise the harvesting of information is no different that if
one had no language to share information. It's not just sharing but
storing information external to the body.
Doyle
^^^^^
CB: Yes, key adaptive advantage is culture and language allow communication
across generations, between dead generations and living. The experiences of
living generations are saved for future generations.
I think of culture and language as very similar, both essentially symbolic.
________________________________
* References:
* Altruism: hardwired
* From: Charles Brown
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* Thread context:
* Re: Immigration = fetishism of labor +
globalization, (continued)
* Re: Immigration = fetishism of labor +
globalization, Michael Perelman Mon 04 Jun 2007, 20:22 GMT
* The current counter-revolutionary offensive
in Venezuela ? what it means and how to defeat it, Charles Brown Mon 04 Jun
2007, 18:42 GMT
* Re: The current counter-revolutionary
offensive in Venezuela ? what it means and how to defeat it, Jim Devine Mon
04 Jun 2007, 20:04 GMT
* Altruism: hardwired, Charles Brown Mon 04
Jun 2007, 18:20 GMT
* Re: Altruism: hardwired, Doyle Saylor Mon 04
Jun 2007, 19:03 GMT
* Re: PEN-L Digest - 1 Jun 2007 to 2 Jun 2007
(#2007-156), Walt Byars Mon 04 Jun 2007, 18:19 GMT
* Re: PEN-L Digest - 1 Jun 2007 to 2 Jun 2007
(#2007-156), Jim Devine Mon 04 Jun 2007, 18:26 GMT
* Re: PEN-L Digest - 1 Jun 2007 to 2
Jun 2007 (#2007-156), Walt Byars Mon 04 Jun 2007, 18:31 GMT
* Re: PEN-L Digest - 1 Jun 2007 to 2
Jun 2007 (#2007-156), Bill Lear Mon 04 Jun 2007, 19:24 GMT
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