Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA17883 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 20 May 2000 04:32:56 +0100 Message-ID: <004501bfc214$824297c0$03000004@r2z3h3> From: "Tyger" <void@internet-zahav.net.il> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <NBBBIIDKHCMGAIPMFFPJOEHKENAA.richard@brodietech.com><3925BE02.4F13FAE8@pacbell.net> <39257B10.F8037299@mediaone.net> <3925FF60.6140ACE3@pacbell.net> Subject: The Guru mutation Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 06:33:11 +0200 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6600 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hello Bill,
Recently, I have been shown the memetic mutation of the term Guru, which
originally meant a spiritual mentor (from Hindou/Sanscrit). Nowadays the
term Guru has become a synonym for expertise, professionalism, leadership,
avant-guarde geekness and the like, especially in the high-tech environment.
I wonder, how did it loose its Spirituality and gained its techno-savy
meaning. Any idea how this mutation came about? The spread of this meme is
quite astonishing, and could be one to follow for research into meme
mutations. As I guess wildly that the term Guru was applied somewhere in the
past to certain unix users as a joke and intended as a pun. The jargon club
of the net outmatched itself in this word, no doubt.
Best,
Tyger
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Spight" <bspight@pacbell.net>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2000 4:58 AM
Subject: Re: Technology vs. culture
> Dear Chuck,
>
> > I do, however, have a problem calling it a mutation.
> > Mutations are accidents of the system - like a stray UV ray mutates a
gene. I
> > don't see how this is necessary a random process -- it sounds like it
could
> > have been a deliberate mataphorical process - of using a word
metaphorically
> > to describe another event.
>
> Mutation is a change, or a changed thing. Natural genetic
> mutation is random in the sense of being unplanned,
> unpredictable, the result of chaotic processes or errors in
> regular processes.
>
> > Also, I am a bit confused about what altered. Are
> > you saying that probe altered into prove?
>
> "Prove" comes from Latin "probare", to test. The OED
> distinguishes two main senses, "I. To make trial of, try, test. .
> .. . II. To make good, establish." The first sense died out in the
> 19th century, although it was the closest to the original Latin
> sense. The saying survived, but with altered meaning.
>
> > How would memetics see this differently from etymology - is there a
> > difference?
>
> AFAIK, the field of memetic mutation is not well developed. It is
> an area I am interested in. I think that there are several
> processes by which memes are mutated, some deliberate, but most
> not, or not fully so. (How deliberate is a pun?)
>
> Best,
>
> Bill
>
> ===============================================================
> 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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