Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA01420 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 12 May 2000 15:17:08 +0100 Message-ID: <B6E47FBD3879D31192AD009027AC929C3688D0@NWTH-EXCHANGE> From: Bruce Jones <BruceJ@nwths.com> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Useless memes Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 09:21:32 -0500 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2232.9) Content-Type: text/plain Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
IMHO sayings such as "Which came first ... ", "Best laid plans ..", "Don't
throw out the baby with the bath water.", etc. catch on because they convey
complex meanings with the fewest number of words.
Science fiction author Robert Heinlein, in one of his books stated
(paraphrasing here) the "fewer the better". He felt that if a statement
took five words to say it was too long if three could say the same thing.
His example was a common saying though rather scatological so I will just
give the short version ... you will recognize the longer one; "Defecate or
Abdicate". The meaning comes across as the same. So instead of spouting a
long monologue of, "If you aren't going to be productive or follow through
with jobs and tasks that you start, or if you are going to make statements
and promises you can't back up with actions .... get out, move over, leave
and let some one else finish or do the job."
In the chicken/egg scenario: the general meaning of cause and effect about a
given subject can be summed up rather quickly without a thesis.
SO sayings that convey major philosophical or functional objectives catch
hold and become part of the everyday lexicon. These types of sayings do fit
into a definition of memes. I feel they are functional and are self
serving. These might be called eie-prime memes because they are universal
and express a social functionality.
Bruce
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wade T.Smith [SMTP:wade_smith@harvard.edu]
> Sent: Friday, May 12, 2000 7:41 AM
> To: memetics list
> Subject: Useless memes
>
> On 05/12/00 08:02, Vincent Campbell said this-
>
> >Mine answer to the question itself would be that eggs came first, because
> >eggs appeared before chickens evolved. Why it persists? Well I don't
> know-
> >another useless meme?
>
> Well, of course the egg came first, because, and here's the rub, chickens
> use sexual reproduction- therefore the chicken is never the same as the
> egg.
>
> Which brings us to why the conundrum remains a conundrum- it's all about
> sex, the first hinge of all meaning.
>
> - Wade
>
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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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