The Problem of the Origin of Language

The other problem Blackmore offers a memetic answer is the origin of language. Talking costs a great deal of our energy and it formats our body -exquisite control of breathing is needed and this meant changes in the muscles of the diaphragm and chest-, that may be disadvantageous for survival of humankind. Why, then, has evolution produced creatures that talk whenever they get the chance? Possible answers of this question:

1) A biological explanation: cementing social bonds or exchanging useful information

2) A sociobiological explanation: with the evolution of language, culture has somehow got temporarily out of hand; it is a deviation from genetic determinism

3) An evolutionary psychological explanation: all this talking once had advantages for the survival of our ancestors, our body and physical structure was formed in accordance with talking, even though today, it doesn’t benefit our genes any more (Blackmore, 1999).

It is obvious that all three suggestions appeal to the genetic advantages, but memetic has totally different view. Blackmore (1999) overtly puts it: “The reason we talk so much is not to benefit our genes, but to spread our memes” (p. 84). She offers a memetic explanation of so much talking:

I shall argue that once imitation evolved and memes appeared, the memes changed the environment in which genes were selected and so forced them to provide better and better meme-spreading apparatus. In other words, the human language capacity has been meme-driven, and the function of language is to spread memes (p. 93).

Language provides a suitable medium for meme’s spreading. It increases memes’ replicative power, namely fidelity, fecundity, and longevity. Language certainly improves meme fecundity. How, then, could the fidelity of the copies of the sounds be

increased? By means of digitalization of sound via making discrete words instead of a continuum of sound, copying becomes more accurate. Any speech that is divided up into discrete, easily copyable sounds would have higher fidelity and hence outperform the others in the race to get copied. With regard to longevity, language makes ideas and sounds far more memorable by structuring the meanings of sounds. Language provides a good medium for memes and today all proliferous communicative technologies (telephones, internet, network systems, TV) is directed to the task of spreading memes in a twinkling. As it can be understood, Blackmore has a memetic solution to the mystery of the origin of language. Blackmore (1999) summarizes the memetic story of the genesis of language:

Once imitation evolved, something like two and a half or three million years ago, a second replicator, the meme, was born. As people began to copy each other the highest-quality memes did the best – that is those with high fidelity, fecundity and longevity. The early speakers of this language not only copied the best speakers in their society but also mated with them, creating natural selection pressures on the genes to produce brains that were ever better and better at spreading the new memes. In this way, the memes and genes coevolved to produce just one species with the extraordinary properties of a large brain and language. The only essential step to starting this process was the beginning of imitation. The general principles of evolution are enough to account for the rest (p. 107).

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2.7.3.The Problem of Diversity of Sexual Behavior In Modern Times !

Human sexuality is another intriguing matter to fathom in its complexity. Our sexuality does not always maximize our genetic legacy and we no longer make sex in order to find fittest genes for our offspring. Blackmore says that sociobiology, biology and evolutionary psychology insist that our sexual behavior is genetic-driven and birth control or homosexuality is a mistake, a deviation because genes could not anticipate how we would use our intelligence. In contrast, Blackmore with memes eye view asserts that modern sexual behavior is meme-driven. In fact, our basic desires and instincts were formed by genes, but generally memes drive our genetic desires. People would like to make sex according to ideas surrounding them, such as fantasies, medical directions, images, and rumors.

According to Blackmore (1999), memes may spread both vertically (across generations) and horizontally (among peers). The mode of transmission is important because it affects the relationship between genes and memes. When memes are transmitted vertically this means that genes and memes spread together, that is what benefits one also benefits the other. However, when it transmitted horizontally, “memes can travel quite independently of the genes” (p. 133). An idea passed from one person to another within one generation regardless of how untrue, unreasonable or dangerously addictive the habits are. Blackmore claims, “Only horizontal transmission makes memes really independent of genes and modern industrialized life is a world of horizontal transmission” (p. 133). This horizontal transmission can explain why modern sexual behavior is out of the control of genes. Celibacy is a consequence of spreading of religious memes and it is truly harmful to genes. Birth control and adoption are other examples, which are controlled by memes to the detriment of genes, because the two example terminate genes’ spreading.

In modern life also family size decreases because of feminist memes propagate swiftly. A modern woman has to deal with a bombardment of memes. For example, an academic woman has to follow new books, new technologies of her field, and has to produce articles. This may take her a considerable part of her time, in which she could