O warunkach koniecznych dostosowania memetycznego. Wybrane aspekty

Abstract

The study of human symbolic communication genesis has long ceased to be a domain of the humanities. Today it is a domain of biology and evolutionary psychology, which build their own diagnosis of the phenomenon of speech and symbolic thinking, focusing mainly on the discoveries of genetics and sociobiology. Among numerous theories, which have already been built on this ground (e.g. the so-called machiavellian theory of Humphrey and Alexander, mating mind theory of Miller) it is difficult to find theories which combine communication between people with polite strategies and altruism – understood as helping others without benefiting from it. Contemporary knowledge of nature ideas has become dominated by the selfish gene theory, formulated by Richard Dawkins (1976). The author of this paper argues that symbolic communication has its grounds in up-to-date altruism, not individual or genetic egoism. Analyzing the necessary and sufficient conditions for inspecies communication to exist, the author analyzes Dawkins’ theory in the context of kin altruism and reciprocal altruism, trying to prove that communication must stem from the need for cooperation, not competitiveness.