From: Jeremy Bradley (jeremyb@nor.com.au)
Date: Sat 26 Oct 2002 - 07:06:32 GMT
At 01:16 PM 25/10/02 -0700, you wrote:
>All:
>
>Def Meme = a unit of cultural inheritance
>
>Some problems with that definition:
>
>1) "Inheritance" is, OC, used metaphorically here. It might be better to
>speak of transmission, since inheritance suggests vertical transmission,
>while horizontal transfer is a significant part of memetics. But
>"transmission" does not suggest evolution. This and that. "Inheritance"
>is OK, no?
This is getting really close Bill, but I would suggest something like: "A
cultural unit capable of transference". Or just: "A cultural unit".
>2) "Culture" is not well defined. But it is defined well enough to
>fuzzily specify the domain of memes. Good enough.
Yep
>
>3) "Unit" means a single thing. It also suggests indivisibility. To say
>that a meme is a unit can be faulted on both counts.
No, a unit can be a complex structure that stands alone, an entity - like a
unit trust, or a part within a whole - like a home unit. I like 'unit'.
Got to go, more later. See ya
Jeremy.
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