Home / Columns / Judaism and Cultural Evolution

Judaism and Cultural Evolution

By on May 22, 2018

SCIENCENSEX

Written by Joseph Dunsay. After earning a Masters of Science in Ecology and Evolution, Joseph Dunsay became a science writer for international audiences. Find more Jewrotica writing by Joseph here.

Rated PG-13

Jews recently celebrated Shavuot to comemorate receiving the Torah. The written words of the Torah are immutable, but the oral tradition that completents the text evolves with each generation. The rabbis teach that the crowns on certain letters are the foundation of new interpretations by Rabbi Akiba that settled disputes about the law among Israel’s ancient legislators.

Professors in our time pondered how cultural traits, such as laws, evolve over generations. Richard Dawkins suggested the now famous concept of memetic evolution which allows cultural traits, called memes, to evolve much like genes evolve. Those memes on social media bear the name he coined.

During an interview at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Dawkins discussed freedom of speech, scientific debate, the foundation of his morality, and the nature of the soul. He worried about emotional protestors who made scientific debate difficult and suggested ways to handle them. In his ideal society courts and parlements debate laws to reduce human suffering. He appreaciated the achievements of people who helped others even though he belives the soul is merely the result of physical activity that AI programers could theoretically replicate.

Memetic evolution changes the laws of the land and the objects people produce over the centuries. Humanity has come a long way since Pygmalion. Those looking for joy need not make do with statues now that ever better sex robots are entering the market. The latest sex robot technology comes in male and female versions with AI programing to allow conversations and interactive sex.

Although some might object to sex robots, followers of Dwarkins morality could praise a sufficiently effective AI enabled sex robot as a moraly upright entitly that makes life less lonely for people who dare to be different from the rest of humanity. Of course, an Epicurean who thinks that results mater more than methods could say the same thing about a book if the text provides comfort to folks who wake-up early with heavy troubles on their shoulders.

 

After earning a Masters of Science in Ecology and Evolution, Joseph Dunsay became a science writer for international audiences. His LGBT erotic e-book launched in the summer of 2015.
Related Items