Re: electric meme bombs

From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Mon 04 Nov 2002 - 03:08:31 GMT

  • Next message: joedees@bellsouth.net: "Re: electric meme bombs"

    > > >
    > >I consider memes to be meaningful; otherwise, there would be no basis
    > >upon which we could choose between them. And choose we do.
    > > >
    > Birdsongs do carry meaning, but I'm not sure they do for any species
    > other than the species that is singing them. When a bird sings he is
    > saying, "This is my territory and if you're not a female of my
    > species, stay out." There may be other messages in birsongs, but from
    > what I've read this is the primary message. Birds with a larger
    > vocabulary may be able to say things like, "Watch out for the hawks.
    > I see one." But in addition, birds and other animals are able to
    > communicate ideas with behavior. When one bird takes off, they all
    > take off. The first to go was able to communicate something with that
    > behavior that the rest were able to pick up on.
    >
    > Of course, I'm not saying they have culture and can understand complex
    > ideas expressed by memes. But they can communicate simple ideas that
    > change the behavior of other members of their species. Isn't that the
    > essence of understanding?
    >
    These cues are innate and generally the same or extremely similar for conspecifics within a species, whereas human communication is arbitrary and by mutual convention, and unlike genetically hardwired behavior, must be created, learned and taught.
    >
    > Grant
    >
    >
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    =============================================================== 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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