Page 195 - Communication and the Evolution of Society

172 Communication and Evolution of Society

in the learning of new cognitive structures or identification and
projection in the construction of a motivational basis. As long
as these mechanisms are not adequately analyzed, however, we
cannot judge whether the comparison between mutation and tra-
dition is merely metaphorical or whether the underlying social
learning mechanism is in some ways functionally equivalent to
the process of mutation. One difference should arouse our sus-
picion; whereas the mutation process produces chance variations,
the ontogenesis of structures of consciousness 1s a highly selective
and directional process.

b. In natural evolution the success of learning processes is mea-
sured against the ability of a population to stabilize itself in a
given environment; and the reproduction of the species depends,
in the final analysis, on the individual organism’s ability to sur-
vive. We can specify in turn unambiguous parameters for the
ability of an organism to avoid death. This is not the case for
the ability of a society to avoid death; it is not even clear what
this is supposed to mean. The physical survival of a number of
members sufficient for reproduction is, of course, a necessary
condition for a society's maintaining its identity—but it is not its
sufficient condition.
The identity of a society is normatively determined and de-
pends on cultural values; on the other hand, these values can
change as the result of a learning process. There is no clearly
specifiable goal-function against which the ultrastability of soci-
eties could be measured. Dunn gives the following formulation
to this state of affairs:

The appropriateness of novel behavior is tested by its contribution to
goal convergence. If it fails that test it will usually fail to win a per-
manent place in the behavioral repertoire. However, the failure to
generate goal convergence may not only cause the new behavioral
mode to be identified as maladaptive, it may also call into question the
appropriateness of the goal. In short, just as the goals form the test of
adaptive behavior giving rise to the revision of behavioral ideas, be-
havioral ideas sometimes form a test of the adequacy of goals and lead
to goal revision.8°