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You seemed to be suggesting that memes (defined as an "idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture") may not exist.

You mean I use the word "intelligence" to include both hardwired abilities (eg, the spider's innate ability to make a web) as well as abilities that have been learnt (eg, the way dogs can be taught tricks and skills). Yes, that's true, I include both. I think those are both part of...

I am not sure what you are getting at; are you denying that human intelligence was involved in the evolution of human civilization as well? To me the idea that through sexual selection, animal intelligence may shape the course of evolution seems self-evident. If you are not using your brains...

Richard Dawkins coined the term "meme": a meme he defines as is an element of human culture (such as the ability to make iron tools, or build bridges) which is passed down from one generation to the next. These memes may be encoded in our brains and passed on by oral tradition, or may be written...

Take the example of the evolution of human civilization. There was no master plan for human civilization that was laid out beforehand; things just evolved on a piecemeal basis. We moved from nomadic hunter-gatherers to farmers, then developed the first towns and cities, and over the centuries...

And somehow, I don't think "stimulating possibility of sex" therapy will get too many complaints from patients, at least not from the guys!

Yes, I agree, and I mentioned earlier that the female attraction to a male peacock plumage may be more a hardwired intelligence or hardwired instinctual response than the sort of adaptive, cognitive intelligence seen in humans (and crows). But even though these hardwired responses may exist...

I think that is underestimating animal intelligence. Have you ever seen how crows solve problems with astounding cognitive and preplanning-type thought and intelligence, as demonstrated in this video of a crow dropping stones into water in a glass tube to raise the water level in order to be...

If there were no intelligence involved, why would animals have complex courtship rituals, which determine who gets to reproduce, and who does not? If there were no intelligence and no choice behind who gets to reproduce, why wouldn't animals just randomly choose the nearest member of the...

There is some evidence (not very strong) that we are attracted to mates which have a compatible immune system (specifically, a dissimilar major histocompatibility complex), and that this attraction might be mediated by smell.

But how would the females know which peacocks are fit and healthy, unless they have some way of gauging that? The peacock's plumage provides a gauge of heath, so that makes it useful. But agreed that it is a bit of clumsy and energetically expensive way of sending a signal of health. Maybe there...

I would also like to think that I would be more guided by the intuitive chemistry of falling in love, rather than by the various material and non-material benefits a prospective partner might bring into my life. However, I wonder if even in the most "pure" and romantically inclined individuals...

My understanding is that sexual selection will tend to choose characteristics that demonstrate the health, fitness or capabilities of the animal. The classic example is the plumage of a peacock: a healthy plumage indicates a healthy peacock. So here sexual selection of a lustrous plumage is a...

Sure, but such simple organisms have a very much reduced repertoire of behavioral responses compared to higher animals, and many behavioral responses of simple organisms are no more complex that say the mechanical response of a thermostat. Whereas the behavioral repertoire of higher animals is...

Myself, I would say it is the mental state which actually carries out the modification in behavior. Although hunger is underpinned by a biological process which affects the brain, I think it's only when that effect on the brain enters into your mental awareness (either consciously or...

Agreed, but this biological state causes effects in the brain and mind, which in turn modifies behavior. Surely the idea of biological factors modifying behavior is a pretty straightforward one.

Nobody says it isn't. Are you having difficulty understanding how a biological process can modify behavior? Think about alcohol; this works on a biological basis, acting on receptors in the brain, but everyone knows how in this way alcohol modifies human behavior.

Saying "purposely designed by evolution" is just a turn of phrase, to indicate that these traits were selected by Darwinian evolution for their survival benefits. Evolution does have purpose and direction though; although evolution uses randomness as a tool to find the best designs for its...

You need a good mind to attempt to understand what mind might be, and I don't think any of us with brain fog have the clarity of thought to tackle these complex questions. I used to have a great interest in the philosophy of mind, but I cannot delve much into that field now, because...

In terms of understanding how behavior can be modified or skewed in a particular direction by the sickness behavior response, the model of free will that I detailed above I think makes it easy to understand. If you are feeling very tired and depressed because of the sickness behavior response...