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Originally Posted by Mad_Michael
I agree that inheritance is the vehicle of the transfer in genetics, but either God-derived, evolution or mutation MUST be the source of what is transfered.
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Now I can agree with you.
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Originally Posted by Mad_Michael
And I draw a strong distinction between a genetic inheritence and a cultural one. One has NO CHOICE in one's genetic inheritence, one HAS CHOICE in one's cultural inheritence. Ergo, they are fundamentally different processes. One does not inherit American culture the same way one inherits blue eyes.
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I will agree with you so far as culture is defined as a way of living that is disconnected with our genetic predispositions. Making the distinctions between nature and nurture is, however, an ongoing effort and is still very far from any sighting of a settlement. Thing is that we don't want to possess genetic predispositions. It doesn't fare well with our comprehensive self-awareness and thereby inferred possibilities of the ego.
Anyway, choice in cultural inheritance as you present it is a tricky one.
As the old saying goes, you can't choose your parents. Therefore, could one actually assert that you do inherit culture with no more choice than you inherit the genes from your parents? Whether your genes are that of your parents or not, you're still submitted to a relationship of dependency for quite a few years of your life. It's of course outrageous by any standard to claim that you will have no choice in replacing, rejecting or, heck, even changing whatever culture you didn't choose during the relationship of dependency. But in meme theory, the memes you acquired during that time will persist even if you choose to suppress them.