Re: To be or not to be: memetics a science?

From: Steve Drew (srdrew_1@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Apr 04 2002 - 23:56:12 BST

  • Next message: Keith Henson: "Re: Fwd: Operation Clambake nobbled" 

    Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA24691 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 5 Apr 2002 00:04:24 +0100
X-Originating-IP: [194.117.133.84]
User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.0.3
Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 23:56:12 +0100
Subject: Re: To be or not to be: memetics a science?
From: Steve Drew <srdrew_1@hotmail.com>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Message-ID: <B8D2989B.C1%srdrew_1@hotmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <200204022036.VAA20549@alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 04 Apr 2002 22:58:25.0886 (UTC) FILETIME=[3A5BEFE0:01C1DC2C]
Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk

    Hi Wade, Philip

    > Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 08:36:46 -0500
    > From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
    > Subject: Re: To be or not to be: memetics a science?
    >
    > On 03/31/02 20:48, Philip Jonkers said this-
    >
    >> are the variables involved too complex to be isolated
    >> for experimental study
    >
    > No..., however, the only way to effectively reduce the variables is
    > totally inhumane and unethical. (This is true in psychology as well.)
    > Computer modeling combined with selectively isolated neurological
    > activity analysis and fMRI-mapped responses may be the only ethical path,
    > and I think there is great promise there.
    >
    > I don't think culture will escape the laboratory, at all. Nor should it.
    >
    > Man is the measure of all things.
    >
    > - - Wade

    It doesn't follow at to my mind. It is ethical to conduct observations
    incognito and then give the subjects the right of absolute veto over what
    can be used. What is ethical and moral depends at present on one's
    philosophy etc. I was taught that you could, say, overhear people at a bar,
    record their interaction but could not identify in any way a single
    situation that could identify a person. It depends on what you are doing
    that is ethical.

    Man is the measure of all things?

    So if it's good for man it's ok?

    Troubled,
    Steve

    ===============================================================
    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 archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Apr 05 2002 - 00:26:17 BST