Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id OAA00886 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 1 Feb 2000 14:56:32 GMT X-Authentication-Warning: frost.umd.edu: debivort owned process doing -bs Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:21:14 -0500 (EST) From: "Lawrence H. de Bivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu> X-Sender: debivort@frost.umd.edu To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re:memetics-digest V1# 118 In-Reply-To: <00013120112307.00393@faichney> Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.95q.1000201091437.19735B-100000@frost.umd.edu> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Robin Faichney wrote:
>I don't really understand the remainder of what you said here, but I do get the
>impression that there's confusion between memes and genes there.
Yes, I agree. The use of genes as metaphors for memes has lost its utility
in the exploration of memes. It was useful in the very early days of meme
research as genes suggested ways of looking at memes that were then
useful. But our understanding of memes has long since evolved to the point
that the genetic metaphor now holds us back (at best), and creates
artificial and irrelevant debates about the differences between genes and
memes.
It is time for meme researchers to chuck genes, chuck them as metaphorical
suggestion, chuck them as analog standards (if memes don't perform in
culture as genes do in biological system, then memes 'don't exist'), and
chuck them as oratorical red-herrings.
The is the memes list: let's focus on memes per se, and let the genes
discussions occur separately. Until we do this, the memes discussion will,
in my opinion, remain bogged down and sterile.
Lawrence
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