RE: Why Europe is so Contrary

From: Lawrence DeBivort (debivort@umd5.umd.edu)
Date: Sat 07 Dec 2002 - 14:21:47 GMT

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    Jeremy, this is fascinating and a most useful concept. Strands of memes, with, we automatically assume, defined beginnings and ends. Yes, we complain when movies leave questions unresolved, or when an ending is not satisfactory. The shape of the initial part of the strand creates in us, thanks to the 'literary conditioning', expectations about how it will
    'end' -- and that it must.

    Excellent. I am very interested in what else you might share on this.

    Cheers, Lawry

    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
    > Of Jeremy Bradley
    > Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2002 5:46 AM
    > To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > Subject: RE: Why Europe is so Contrary
    >
    >
    > SNIP.......Steve:
    > >Also,implicit in your statement seems to be the idea that social
    > evolution
    > has a
    > >destination? Society changes, and good or ill are relative to
    > the society of
    > >the observer.
    > >
    > >Regards
    > >
    > >Steve.
    > >
    > Hi Steve
    > In my study of narrative form I developed a theory that the linear
    > rhetorical form of outcome based narratives, such as we all grew up with,
    > normalise the notion that outcomes and destinations are the inevitable
    > result of existence.
    > In my memetics, subtle cultural notions such as these are part of a coded
    > sets of information ( culture memes which form a complete 'strand', or
    > cneme, for want of a better word) which constrains the production of
    > culture so that evolution can't happen outside of previously set
    > perameters.
    > It is the 'cenemes', of which I have only mentioned one, which make memes
    > appear to be good or bad to different peoples (as our current case-study
    > clearly shows).
    > Like the mapping of the human genome, the mapping of a cultural cneme is
    > possible through the analysis of the most enduring elements of
    > that culture
    > - its narratives and their form.
    > 'owzat Steve?
    > Jeremy
    >
    >
    >
    > ===============================================================
    > 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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