Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id SAA16205 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 9 May 2000 18:52:34 +0100 Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 18:22:32 +0100 From: Robin Faichney <robin@faichney.demon.co.uk> Message-Id: <200005091722.SAA01678@faichney.demon.co.uk> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: a memetic experiment- an eIe opener Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>Chuck wrote:
>
><<Richard - I don't want to say it outright for pedagogical reasons, but
>what
>do you suppose tight little subcultures do to stay tight? :) Clue: why did
>nonsensical grammatical rules become the obsession of the emerging middle
>class in the 18th century?>>
>
>I'm guessing that your implication is that "staying tight" == "utility".
>Why? No one would argue that all memes have some EFFECT, even a tiny one.
>But is having an effect the same as being useful? Useful to who? What
>memetics says is that memes evolve to have effects that are useful TO THE
>MEME.
That's absolutely right, but it might be worth adding: it does NOT imply
that memes "have a life of their own". Neither do genes. To assume
otherwise is to misunderstand evolutionary theory. There's nothing
magical about either genetics or memetics. I repeat: you (Chuck) really
need to read Dennett.
-- Robin Faichney=============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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