Re: Standard definition

From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Wed 30 Oct 2002 - 18:26:50 GMT

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    >
    > On Wednesday, October 30, 2002, at 12:41 , Bill Spight wrote:
    >
    > > If you have a theory based
    > > on performance, then you need to explain the principal phenomena of
    > > the field in terms of performance.
    >
    > Of course- any theory of performance needs to explain principal
    > phemomena of performance, but no performance itself depends in any way
    > upon a theory about it nor upon any description of any sort about it.
    >
    > There are many theories of _how_ to perform- physical, behavioral,
    > sociological, artistic, cognitive, even memetic (!), but, the
    > performance came before any theory of it, just like all of nature.
    >
    > Culture is part of human nature. Human nature is not a 'how'.
    >
    > Or, perhaps, culture _is_ only a theory. I'm betting it is part of
    > human nature, and the performance-only hypothesis of cultural
    > transmission allows all the other theories of performance their due.
    > _Why_ a person performs meme A, or even _how_, is not important to the
    > behavior-only hypothesis.
    >
    > But the behavior-only stance is the _only one_ that allows for
    > non-identical performed and observed entities (momentary memes) as
    > groundworks, and, yes, all things in nature are not identical, at
    > least in the macro world in which culture must dwell.
    >
    > Every other hypothesis demands a meme that is somehow intact and
    > lasting, like some impossible germ.
    >
    But an intact and lasting meme is exactly what is necessary to explain multiple token performances of a behavior type; and the locus in which such an entity may reside is one's meme-ory. The thought is parent to the action, and logically and empirically prior to it.
    >
    > - Wade
    >
    >
    >
    > ===============================================================
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    > Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
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    > 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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