Re: Central questions of memetics

From: Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Tue May 16 2000 - 01:38:44 BST

  • Next message: Chuck Palson: "Re: Central questions of memetics" 

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Subject: Re: Central questions of memetics
Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 20:38:44 -0400
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From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
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    Chuck Palson made this comment not too long ago --

    >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.

    This is something we've been batting back and forth here- and let's take
    a look at that bat, while we have it in our hands.

    It is an artifact, yes, and moreover, one with a specific and particular
    purpose- to propel a thrown baseball in a game with the same name. (For
    the benefit of our anglophiles, I will give a small nod to the bat used
    in their peculiar variety of this game named after a loud insect.)

    But, the 'baseballbat'-ness of this artifact is tenuous, and culturally
    situated.

    When the bat is all alone, where is baseball?

    When a game gets resurrected (or begun anew) that needs a bat to play, is
    there a need to remember or get the old bat?

    Things come and go- the utility of a thing is part of the logic of its
    formation, but the game it plays is memetic/cultural, and _this_ is where
    the repetition comes in.

    But can a meme exist- can that baseballbat exist- without the game it's
    used for?

    Good question. And I ain't sure.

    - Wade

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