RE: Complexity and Memetics

From: Lawrence DeBivort (debivort@umd5.umd.edu)
Date: Tue 03 Dec 2002 - 17:05:08 GMT

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    Welcome to the list, Sam.

    Lots of different conversations going on here. I'm glad you've jumped in.

    Best regards, Lawry

    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
    > Of Samuel Rose
    > Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 11:36 AM
    > To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > Subject: Complexity and Memetics
    >
    >
    > Hello memetics list,
    >
    >
    > My name is Sam Rose. I'm an independent researcher of Complex Adaptive
    > Systems, memetics, futures studies, and media ecology. I've spent the
    > last couple of years studying the BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL emergent, cyclical
    > levels of existence (ECLET) theories of Dr Clare W Graves and it's spin
    > off theories.
    > I haven't had the chance to comb through all of the archives yet, but I
    > was hoping to strike up a dialogue here relating complexity to memetics.
    >
    > So far, my only exposure to memetics has been through Aaron Lynch's
    > "Thought Contagion" Robert Aunger's "Darwinizing Culture" and "The
    > Electric Meme" (still reading electric meme now). If anyone can
    > recommend any other work, feel free to do so.
    >
    > I am most interested now in understanding how memes work into self
    > sustaining non-linear systems. The self-assembly of memes seems to
    > reflect the behavior of "strange attractors" in CAS theory. The self
    > replication and non-linear transmission of memes seems to be an integral
    > part of biological, psychological, and social systems. I think CAS and
    > memetics can help us understand why a system may "break down" and
    > reassemble into separate systems under certain conditions. This can
    > often be seen on internet mailing lists that discuss theories dealing
    > with human social interaction systems in real time, like memetics. To
    > discuss something like memetics, we may want or need to use current
    > events in order to test or models, theories and hypothesis. These
    > discussions are self sustaining until a global event happens and is
    > brought into the system that causes some degree of dissonance. Most of
    > the participants in the online discussion group are also simultaneously
    > part of larger systems. Global events seem to both generate and activate
    > memes within individuals. If the paradigms those memes are tied to are
    > drastically different for individuals who make up a system, then the
    > system may break down and reassemble into two or more new systems,
    > though they may still exist within the same environment (an internet
    > discussion list, for instance). One theory says that this "dissonance"
    > is caused by collections of memes, or "meta-memes" that make up an
    > individual and group complex adaptive system.(that theory is spiral
    > dynamics see: www.spiraldynmamics.com) It seems there is a
    > cultural/social view, a psychological view, and a biological/genetic
    > view into these types of systems. Internet subcultures like discussion
    > groups and lists seem to be more vulnerable to the break down of self
    > sustenance than face to face relationships. At the same time they can be
    > valuable learning tools, and information can be shared more efficiently,
    > and a broader base can be observed than in face to face type
    > relationship systems.
    >
    > Anyway, I am interested in creating dialogue about these things. Any
    > suggestions, clarifications, corrections, admonishments, brow beatings,
    > or compliments are welcome.
    >
    > Sam Rose
    > Founding Member
    > The Billions of Minds Project
    > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BillionsofMinds?yguid=57605344
    >
    >
    > ===============================================================
    > 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
    >

    =============================================================== 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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