RE: future language

From: Vincent Campbell (v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk)
Date: Wed May 01 2002 - 16:30:34 BST

  • Next message: Vincent Campbell: "RE: future language"

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    From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
    To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
    Subject: RE: future language
    Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 16:30:34 +0100 
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            <Same analogy, IMO, goes for destroying other cultures. They are
    result
    > of a huge number of cultural experiments, and we should not be so quick
    > to discard the end results. Ask any anthropologists about why they
    > think that their job is important, and what good came out of it....>
    >
            Anthropologists are biased though where humans are concerned aren't
    they? Really though, I see your point. Like Wade's point also, I can see
    the value and beauty of things like aboriginal stories and so on, and there
    is a loss there when such things go. So, yeah, I should qualify my opinion
    (spouted in haste).

            I don't see much loss in subsistence living, mythico-religious
    social systems, or a range of practices that some peoples follow, and I
    wouldn't want to perpetuate some people having to live like that so that
    others can enjoy the benefits, even if, or rather especially if, some of
    those people are merely external observers (like western anthropologists
    enjoying the pacific sun).

            Vincent

    > > I'm sure I'd feel differently if the
    > > shoe
    > > were on the other foot... The reason I don't see it as a huge thing
    > > is that
    > > there's a vast gap between the often tribal societies of indigenous
    > > peoples,
    > > and the post-industrial societies of the developed world, and even
    > > the
    > > industrial societies of the developing world. So they have unique
    > > languages, customs, beliefs blah, blah, blah, what utility is gained
    > > across
    > > that societal gap? Cultural diversity perhaps? (but then you might
    > > as well
    > > say let's keep an enclave for the Taliban to preserve their culture
    > > for posterity).
    >
    > Right now, you don't see the "use" for such other cultures at all.
    > Might I point out to you that even your definition of what is "useful"
    > is actually culturaly determined? And determined by the culture that is
    > notorious for it's shortsightedness and focus on short-term benefit to
    > the exclusion of long-term viability.
    > >
    > > Perhaps I should stop before someone leaps on a plane to Scotland (I
    > > wouldn't the weather's terrible today) to ram my keyboard down my
    > > throat...
    > >
    > > Vincent
    > >
    >
    > Nah. You are representative of the vast majority of people on this
    > planet - a product of a culture that has rather specific value system
    > (based on short term economic gain, almost exclusively), and therefore
    > are just the right subject to try out some memetic vaccines on...;P
    >
    > But if I were a poor Romany tribesmen from Transylvania or Slovakia,
    > your abovementioned idea might not look so bad at all. Such are
    > cultural defense mechanisms...:)
    >
    >
    >
    > =====
    > 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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    >
    > ===============================================================
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    >
    >

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    =============================================================== 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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