Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA16649 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 16 Mar 2000 00:19:41 GMT Message-ID: <20000316001735.2479.qmail@hotmail.com> X-Originating-IP: [212.1.128.61] From: "Diana Stevenson" <dianaxf@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Some questions Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 16:17:35 PST Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hello again - thanks to everyone who replied!
Bill wrote:
<I don't know much about postmodernism, but my impression --
please correct me if I am wrong -- is that in postmodernism one
story is as good as another. In memetics, some stories are more
equal. ;-) They survive.>
Well yes, but all stories that are around today (like all genes) have
survived. I'm not an expert either, but I think postmodernism is about
allowing different (and apparently conflicting) stories to co-exist without
trying constantly to boost one and put the others down. Also we can try
different stories to find out which are the most useful (the "fittest"?) for
us: live life experimentally until we find something that works. This can
be quite exhilarating but it doesn't say anything about morality or where it
comes from, or how we reach a concensus about behaviour to others. But
neither does science...... I feel that the religion-memes have completely
usurped the morality issue and no-one is proposing alternative frameworks -
there is a huge missing meme here.
Richard wrote:
<The only way we as individuals triumph over memes is by consciously
filtering and choosing the memes we host and spread (see
http://www.memecentral.com/level3.htm ). The only way we as society triumph
over memes is by careful memetic engineering.>
I totally agree with this (and loved your level3 page)! We should modify
them for our benefit as we are beginning to do with genes.
Could the evolving memes be responsible for the widespread "ostrich effect"
in our response to global warming? Our species is threatened with
extinction and it should be occupying the best minds on the planet, but we
are much more interested in other things. Are the memes distracting us so
they can be rid of us more quickly:-)
Unfortunately it's money that's doing the memetic engineering: the oil
companies have been blocking the development of electric cars for the last
20 years, even though these are surely more "fit" for today's environment
than conventional cars. I feel that any attempt to measure the fitness of a
meme would have to control for the money and status behind its promotion -
or the lack thereof.
Sorry if I've wandered off the point a little....... back to lurking:)
Diana (Don't forget GLOBAL WARMING....... only 50 years left.......what
should we be doing.......copy this:-)
------
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