Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id SAA00683 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 22 May 2000 18:29:09 +0100 From: "Richard Brodie" <richard@brodietech.com> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Why are human brains bigger? Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 10:26:46 -0700 Message-ID: <NBBBIIDKHCMGAIPMFFPJMELGENAA.richard@brodietech.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0) Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 In-Reply-To: <392922AC.10FA1CC6@mediaone.net> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Exactly!
Memes take advantage of the fact that our ability to make perceptions and
judgments is always based on sketchy information... so if they can push the
right buttons they can get themselves spread. In the past we evolved
mechanisms to spread information useful to our genes, but nowadays there's
little relationship... just the leftover mechanisms.
Think "birth control"...
Richard Brodie richard@brodietech.com
http://www.memecentral.com/rbrodie.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
Of chuck
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2000 5:06 AM
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Why are human brains bigger?
Richard Brodie wrote:
> I think you will respond by saying once again that you don't agree. Very
> well. But this is, after all, the memetics discussion list, not the
Chuck's
> theory discussion list. If Chuck's theory can predict cool things then
> great. I'm still impressed by seeing the fruition of some of the
predictions
> of memetics, particularly the growth of viral marketing on the Internet.
>
Actually, in light of my extended discussion with Vincent, I can elaborate a
bit
more. There are principles within sociobiology that can explain why things
look
"viral." That is, people will use whatever information is available to them
to
evaluate events outside the part of their lives that they can directly
evaluate
with all their senses. If that information is limited to sight and sound,
they
will use that information despite its inherent inadequacies. They will end
up
with a poor evaluation of the usefulness of the information because the
information itself is limited. I suspect that is the principle of viral
marketing -- poor information that makes the round despite its being poor.
>
> Richard Brodie richard@brodietech.com
> http://www.memecentral.com/rbrodie.htm
>
> ===============================================================
> 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
===============================================================
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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