From: Wade Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Wed 30 Oct 2002 - 21:41:02 GMT
On Wednesday, October 30, 2002, at 04:00 , Jeremy Bradley wrote:
> However, IMO, it is not simply conjecture to say
> whether an idea, trend or theme exists or not in a cultural artefact -
> even
> if that artefact is not a performance.
Any artifact is the result of a performance.
However, even though we _know_ there was a purpose to an artifact, as in
those artifacts being examined by Inuit tribespeople, the use of the
artifact was lost.
The meme-ness, if you will, was gone. Both the meme itself, the
performance of constructing the artifact, and the meaning of the
performance, to supply a device to a tribe, are gone.
The artifact remains.
We can only conjecture about even the memetic intent.
The meme and all of the processes used to perform it are gone.
It is no longer a cultural artifact. It is a historical curiosity.
Killing all cats.
- Wade
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