Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA11660 (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 17:16:36 +0100 Message-ID: <391FDD41.E0002DF2@mediaone.net> Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 12:19:30 +0100 From: Chuck Palson <cpalson@mediaone.net> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.72 [en] (WinNT; I) X-Accept-Language: en To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Central questions of memetics References: <20000515151940.AAA372@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> 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
"Wade T.Smith" wrote:
> On 05/15/00 10:53, Richard Brodie said this-
>
> >I'd be happy to bet you if someone other than yourself---Wade, for
> >instance---were the judge of what is useful.
>
> !!!!
>
> If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve....
>
> Actually, in the sense of Dennett's algorithms, I see no need, in
> evolution, for the term 'useful'. Things are useful when there is a need
> for them and they perform a function- they are no longer 'useful' when
> those conditions alter or dissipate, although they could exist in full
> form at both times. 'Useful' is a temporal condition.
I have no problem with this statement. And it has nothing to do with the
fact that Wade lives in the same town! Except for one thing - they cannot
exist for long when they are no longer useful - as the second part of the
statement seems to imply. What happens in history is that the same forms
will find new uses. That, for example, is the history of words - how they
take on new meanings.
>
>
> The continued utility of a tool is a measure of it's worth and quality,
> and may indeed have cultural properties.
Yes.
And BTW: for someone who didn't want to weigh in, your certain Waded in
anyway.
> ===============================================================
> 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
===============================================================
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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