Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA13101 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 2 Jun 2000 16:02:26 +0100 Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000602103000.00ed3410@pop3.htcomp.net> X-Sender: mmills@pop3.htcomp.net X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 4.3.1 Date: Fri, 02 Jun 2000 11:00:13 -0400 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: "Mark M. Mills" <mmills@htcomp.net> Subject: RE: Jabbering ! In-Reply-To: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D31017458A1@inchna.stir.ac.uk > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Vincent,
At 02:48 PM 6/2/00 +0100, you wrote:
>One key quantitative distinction, I suppose, would be the multiplicity of
>means through which humans can and do communicate. Other organisms have
>relatively few, and relatively limited means of communication in comparison.
While we modern humans have multiple 'technologies' for communication,
these are very recent additions.
If memes exist among human culture, wouldn't they exist in technologically
primitive cultures? Wouldn't aboriginal people of the rain forest have
memes?
As one goes back further in time, technology plays a smaller and smaller
role in the 'cultural' sphere... family life, finding mates, defending
territory probably occupy the majority of cultural habits (not that we
don't do those things, now).
IMHO, social habits express memetic activity regardless the technological
advances. The technology (media in particular) plays to our inborn memetic
processing styles, but technology does not define the meme. Communication
technology is a side effect of human memetics, not its foundation.
Mark
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