From: Bill Spight (bspight@pacbell.net)
Date: Sat 26 Oct 2002 - 21:39:01 GMT
Dear Ted,
> Memetics is a hypothesis that culture can be reduced to its "atomic"
> structure, that the indivisible unit of culture, and not human
> consciousness, is what provides its guiding principle.
No, it's not. Dawkins and others are clear that memes are not
indivisible. Nor do they raise the meme to the level of a guiding
principle, although they may find some guiding principles to be memes.
> "Meme" would
> cease to have a unique meaning and could just as easily be replaced with
> "word, habit, tune," etc.
I do not know about habits, but words and tunes are identified as memes.
(I use the passive because it is not just me. You are misrepresenting
memetics.)
> The question of memetics is the question of
> whether these elements of culture carry their own momentum, their own drive
> to reproduce.
Bullshit.
> If not, memetics is finished.
Likewise.
Ted, I am not going to read any more of your note. You need to find out
what you are talking about. Do some study.
Ciao,
Bill
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