Yes, if you’re talking about corporations, you cannot use exactly the same math than you do if you’re talking about evolutionary biology. But there are still some similarities that make it useful to know things about how selection works in evolutionary biology. Eliezer seems to be saying that if you want to call something “evolution”, then it has to meet these strictly-chosen criteria that he’ll tell you. But pretty much the only justification he offers is “if it doesn’t meet these criteria, then Price’s equation doesn’t apply”, and I don’t see why “evolution” would need to be strictly defined as “those processes which behave in a way specified by Price’s equation”. It can still be a useful analogy.
The rest are fine in my eyes, though the argument in The Psychological Unity of Humankind seems rather overstated for severalreasons.
Do you have recommendations for people/books that take this perspective seriously and then go on to explore interesting things with it? I haven’t seen anyone include the memetic perspective as part of their everyday worldview besides some folk at SIAI and yourself, which I find pretty sad.
Also, I get the impression you have off-kilter-compared-to-LW views on evolutionary biology, though I don’t remember any concrete examples. Do you have links to somewhere where I could learn more about what phenomena/perspectives you think aren’t emphasized or what not?
In academia, memetics is typically called “cultural evolution”. Probably the best book on that is “Not by Genes Alone”.
Your “evolutionary biology” question is rather vague. The nearest thing that springs to mind is this. Common views on that topic around here are more along the lines expressed in the The Robot’s Rebellion. If I am in a good mood, I describe such views as “lacking family values”—and if I am not, they get likened to a “culture of death”.
I made a personal list of top frequently-cited-yet-irritatingly-misleading EY posts:
http://lesswrong.com/lw/l6/no_evolutions_for_corporations_or_nanodevices/
http://lesswrong.com/lw/iv/the_futility_of_emergence/
http://lesswrong.com/lw/l0/adaptationexecuters_not_fitnessmaximizers/
http://lesswrong.com/lw/rl/the_psychological_unity_of_humankind/
http://lesswrong.com/lw/y3/value_is_fragile/
I agree with the first one of those being bad.
Yes, if you’re talking about corporations, you cannot use exactly the same math than you do if you’re talking about evolutionary biology. But there are still some similarities that make it useful to know things about how selection works in evolutionary biology. Eliezer seems to be saying that if you want to call something “evolution”, then it has to meet these strictly-chosen criteria that he’ll tell you. But pretty much the only justification he offers is “if it doesn’t meet these criteria, then Price’s equation doesn’t apply”, and I don’t see why “evolution” would need to be strictly defined as “those processes which behave in a way specified by Price’s equation”. It can still be a useful analogy.
The rest are fine in my eyes, though the argument in The Psychological Unity of Humankind seems rather overstated for several reasons.
FWIW, cultural evolution is not an analogy. Culture literally evolves—via differential reproductive success of memes...
Do you have recommendations for people/books that take this perspective seriously and then go on to explore interesting things with it? I haven’t seen anyone include the memetic perspective as part of their everyday worldview besides some folk at SIAI and yourself, which I find pretty sad.
Also, I get the impression you have off-kilter-compared-to-LW views on evolutionary biology, though I don’t remember any concrete examples. Do you have links to somewhere where I could learn more about what phenomena/perspectives you think aren’t emphasized or what not?
My current project is a book on memetics. I also have a blog on memetics.
Probably the best existing book on the topic is The Meme Machine by Susan Blackmore.
I also maintain some memetics links, some memetics references, a memetics glossary—and I have a bunch of memetics videos.
In academia, memetics is typically called “cultural evolution”. Probably the best book on that is “Not by Genes Alone”.
Your “evolutionary biology” question is rather vague. The nearest thing that springs to mind is this. Common views on that topic around here are more along the lines expressed in the The Robot’s Rebellion. If I am in a good mood, I describe such views as “lacking family values”—and if I am not, they get likened to a “culture of death”.
Wow, thanks! Glad I asked. I will start a tab explosion.