From: Van oost Kenneth (kennethvanoost@belgacom.net)
Date: Mon 21 Oct 2002 - 19:32:54 GMT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Spight" <bspight@pacbell.net>
> Considering that anthropologists have not yet come up with a standard
> definition of culture, don't hold your breath. ;-)
>
> OTOH, I think that the differences about the definition of memes are
> more philosophical than scientific. I think that most memes pass the
> Stewart test. We may not be able to define them, but we know them when
> we see them. Memes can be identified in the same way by people holding
> different definitions. For instance, the phrase, "Give me a break!"
> identifies a meme. Some people may define that meme as the behavioral
> expression of the phrase, others may define it as a neural structure in
> the brain, others may use other definitions, but they can all still
> agree that the phrase identifies a meme, and can informally say that
> "Give me a break!" is a meme.
>
> This kind of agreement exists not just at the level of identifiers, but
> at the level of phenomena. Memetics can ignore neither the external nor
> the internal aspects of a meme, regardless of how it is defined. When
> you get down to brass tacks, a thorough scientific study of, say, "Give
> me a break!" will cover the same phenomena, regardless of how it is
> defined.
>
> What I would like to see is less talk about definitions and more talk
> about memes. :-)
Can 't agree more ! That is the spirit !
Kenneth
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