From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Fri 18 Oct 2002 - 16:48:32 GMT
> Joe:
> > > In five minutes I shall sing "London Bridges". Anyone else can
> > > make a similar decision regarding a ditty whose melody and lyrics
> > > they know, that is, whose memetic structure they have
> > > internalized.
> >
> > Let me hear it, or it is not a meme.
> >
> > (Besides, is that not 'London Bridge is Falling Down'? I don't know
> > a song called 'London Bridges'. I know a song called 'London' (one
> > of my alltime faves), and 'The Tricks of London' (not on my fave
> > list), both by Steeleye Span. So, not only do you have to sing this
> > song of yours _and_ let me hear it in some way, by realtime or
> > artifactual transmission, but you need to do this because I have no
> > reference whatsoever for this song of yours, and I cannot attempt to
> > replicate a meme I have not seen, and have no reference for. You see
> > the difficulty, I hope. I cannot sing your song- I cannot replicate
> > your meme, because, not only have I not heard it, but I have no idea
> > what it might even sound like. Totally without ground, this meme of
> > yours, which means _you have to perform it_. You have no other
> > choice, and the meme itself will not _be_ until you do.)
> >
> > Besides, you have no idea, really, what that song will actually
> > sound like. Your voice might crack in the second verse. You might
> > forget the words.
>
> Perfect replication is an abstract myth, at least when humans drive
> the car of cultural evolution. This goes for behavior as well as
> mental versions of memes. I'm thinking about my early karate-lessons.
> No matter how hard I, or we for that matter, tried to emulate the
> sensei (master) we, if we are honest, could never exactly reproduce
> his movements. There are always some nuance difference that are to be
> found everywhere in human meme-replication (good but inherent
> imperfect fidelity).
>
> Now things can become excitingly different once AI start to outrace us
> in their supa-fly souped-up ferrari testa rossa of cultural evolution.
> With their ultra-reliable electronic circuits they will be in a better
> position to mimick/copy memes with vanishing input of errors ( (near)
> perfect inherent fidelity).
>
> Phil
>
And when such mutational variations are eliminated, their evolution will
end.
>
> ===============================================================
> 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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