Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id BAA18576 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 1 May 2002 01:05:39 +0100 Message-ID: <20020501000018.64130.qmail@web10103.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 17:00:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Trupeljak Ozren <ozren_trupeljak@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Saving the ethnosphere To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk In-Reply-To: <LAW2-F108zK0Y62DszT000051d5@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Funny! I started reading this thread only after I wrote on the subject
of future language, and am amazed by how parallel my thought processes
are with those of other people...:)
Not with this one, though. :)
--- Grant Callaghan <grantc4@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I forsee
> a time when the world will only use half a dozen languages and
> perhaps a
> time when there will only be one, with several local dialects.
> That's
> memetic evolution in a nutshell.
>
IMO, this is a major memetic extinction, right there. I really want to
see how you can explain calling widespread destruction of cultures and
associated memetic contents, as "evolution".
The analogy expressed in the article (with extinction of animal
species) is perfectly correct, IMO. Even though our current culture
puts little if any value on genetic diversity, still there is enough of
danger associated with widespread losss of the same, that we all squirm
and try not to think about it. We feel that it is bad, even though most
are culturaly conditioned to be unable to express exactly why.
This is not the case at all with the loss of other cultures - outside
of a few individuals in obscure fields like anthropology, nobody has a
clue that such a thing is going on, or that it might be a "bad" thing
at all. This is all the more compelling reason to explain the problem
to them...most of our grand-grandfathers didn't give a damn about
"saving the wilderness" or considered the extinction of species to be
in any way remarkable or important. Today we know better - but only
because we have seen the effects....
=====
There are very few men - and they are exceptions - who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment.
Carl von Clausewitz
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