Re: Example of an aggresive irrational meme

From: Scott Chase (ecphoric@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Mar 09 2002 - 23:02:12 GMT

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    From: "Scott Chase" <ecphoric@hotmail.com>
    To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    Subject: Re: Example of an aggresive irrational meme
    Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2002 18:02:12 -0500
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    >From: "Philip Jonkers" <philipjonkers@prodigy.net>
    >Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    >To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
    >Subject: Re: Example of an aggresive irrational meme
    >Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 16:20:24 -0900
    >
    >Phil:
    > > > In biology mutation together with sex defines one vital component of
    >natural
    > > > selection: variation.
    > > > The other two are: selection and retentive reproduction.
    >
    >Steve:
    > > Fair enough. I just didn't think i needed to break it down that much to
    >make
    > > the point. I know some people have tried, not too convincingly to my
    >mind,
    > > to bring the sex angle into memetics, but i think it is best left with
    > > biology. What would be an equivalant way for mutation to occur
    >memetically
    > > if we removed the biological idea of sex?
    >
    >I do think that memetical evolution has a sexual component. In biological
    >evolution
    >sex proved an excellent way to constitute high level of variation and to
    >disseminate useful genes (acquired through mutation) through the
    >population.
    >The same thing
    >also happens in culture. Allow me to explain. In biology, gene-hosts
    >copulate to exchange
    >and disseminate good genes (compare sexual reproduction with its slow
    >alternative
    >asexual reproduction in which variation relies exclusively on the sporadic
    >mutation).
    >If you forget about the erotic connotations for a second, you may
    >appreciate
    >that a
    >similar thing takes place in memetic evolution. In fact culture is one big
    >orgie and new
    >memes get born out of existing ones after a multitude of meme-hosts have
    >put
    >their heads together.
    >Consider for instance the marriage between mathematics and physics:
    >mathematicians and
    >physicists combined make a great pair. Why? Together they make the clock
    >tick in science
    >as mathematics is the language needed by physicists which in turn
    >stimulates
    >and triggers
    >new research in math. The offspring of their wedding have always turned out
    >to be
    >vital for scientific research.
    >You can even take it further and state that culture would not have reached
    >the level
    >it now has without memetic sex (the same goes for biology too).
    >Culture as an evolving entity is a collective enterprise of a group of
    >agents acting in unity.
    >Meme hosts constantly have cultural sex in order to produce new ideas,
    >strategies,
    >solutions to problems, theories, and what not. After all what are meetings
    >for?
    >It's just another orgie of memes.
    >
    >Also memes have `sex' in your head too. There also memes interact with
    >other
    >memes
    >to produce new ones. This is what abstract or creative thinking is all
    >about
    >for instance.
    >There is where the parallel with biology ends of course.
    >
    >
    I'm still having trouble seeing where the parallel begins ;-)

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