Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA11519 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 15 May 2000 16:55:11 +0100 Message-ID: <39201E32.B144330D@fcol.com> Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 11:56:35 -0400 From: "Robert G. Grimes" <grimes@fcol.com> Organization: Grimes & Grimes, Consulting X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.72 [en] (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Central questions of memetics References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D31CEB191@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Alvin Toffler was the one who wrote "Future Shock" ( "Power Shift" and others)
and it was sort of ahead of its time. Later I wrote a paper on "Underwriting
Future Shock" where I simply pointed out those diseases or conditions that were
mortality or morbidity threatening as a result of future shock (from the
subsequent stress of future shock) and I'm almost thinking of writing on on
"Sensory Overload" oriented to the universal deluge of television, internet,
printed media, etc., etc.
Already the ability to correspond, narrate, discuss, etc., quickly to an almost
limitless quantify and quality of audience through all of these media is
providing us with almost overwhelming evidence of these effects (I suspect) on
the behavior of our youth and society in general.
Anyway, Toffler was one of the first "futurists" to go down this path but I'm
sure that there have been periodic messages on similar themes during those
periods when society experienced great innovations coupled with great innovative
diffusion, i.e., written language, printing, steam engine, electrical
communications, internal combustion engine, etc., etc...
Also, I suspect that we are going to have another great adjustment with an
imminent overwhelming biological disease (AIDs?) that will not respond to cheap
therapy and that is fatal or overwhelming disabling. It is interesting to
wonder if this is an evolutionary "adjustment" to our overwhelming population
growth and abuse of our resources?
Cordially,
Bob
Vincent Campbell wrote:
> What was the name of that guy who came up with the notion of 'Future Shock'
> in the 1960s? That's the same phenomenon that you're describing, and it's
> also evident in modernism such as Munch and Kafka.
>
-- Bob Grimeshttp://members.aol.com/bob5266/ http://pages.hotbot.com/edu/bobinjax/ http://www.phonefree.com/Scripts/cgiParse.exe?sID=28788 Jacksonville, Florida Bob5266@aol.com robert.grimes@excite.com bobinjax@hotbot.com
Man is not in control, but the man who knows he is not in control is more in control...
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore....."
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