Robert Aunger
Department of Biological Anthropology
Cambridge UK

From: Robert Aunger
To: Marcello Barbieri
Date: 23 April 2001

Dear Marcello:

Thank you so much for sending me your recent book The Organic Codes. I have
found it to be truly stimulating. I found your writing clear and succinct,
and the content genuinely novel. The breadth of your discussion is also
daunting. You have obviously been at work on this theory for a long time.
As I understand it, your perspective seems to have much in common with
Maynard-Smith and Szathmary's Major Transitions. Given the degree of
acceptance of the idea of ribotype (at least in some quarters), I am
surprised at the lack of attention given in the academy to your ideas about
semantic biology, especially given the degree of ferment in this area. I
wish you the best of luck with getting a fair hearing from your colleagues.
At least I am citing the book in the book I am just finishing -- a popular
science book on memes (called The Electric Meme).


Best wishes,

Bob