Darwin vs. Wallace
When Poetry Dies and When Poetry Survives in the Not-So-Natural Selection of Memetic Evolution
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20501952 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bryce Christensen (0000-0002-2309-7090, Southern Utah University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 397-405 |
| Publication date | 2011-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Changing English (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1358-684X • E-ISSN: 1469-3585 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1358684x.2011.630190 |
| OpenAlex | W1965524495 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 3 |
The theory of memetic evolution – explaining the reproduction of cultural units called memes – illuminates the decline of poetry as a cultural presence by clarifying the contrasting attitudes towards poetry manifested by the co-discoverers of natural selection: Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. Darwin’s eventual indifference to poetry can be traced to an all-absorbing faith in science that extinguishes poetry-favouring memes (such as religious beliefs, memories of the ‘useless’ past and reflections on inexplicable mysteries). In contrast, Wallace’s abiding passion for poetry reflects a surprising insistence on the limits of science, an insistence that protects poetry-sustaining memes
Art · Biology · Literature · Natural selection · Poetry · Computer Science · Evolution and Science Education · Language and cultural evolution · Philosophy · Artificial Intelligence · Paleontology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |