Daniel Dennett (Tufts University)
At least to some degree the evolution of culture is governed by a Darwinian process of natural selection; the replicating entities are memes. Many features of culture are excellently designed to serve various purposes, but are not the result of human intelligent design. Memes should be seen to have their own fitness, only indirectly related to the fitness of their hosts, just like viruses and other symbionts. Human culture could not have arisen suddenly, a hopeful monster created with foresight, but must have evolved through a gradual process of refinement of largely unwitting early steps.
