Re: memes defined operationally (from article)

From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@rogers.com)
Date: Sat 18 Jan 2003 - 00:12:18 GMT

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    At 09:03 PM 16/01/03 +0100, you wrote:

    >----- Original Message -----
    >From: "Keith Henson" <hkhenson@rogers.com>
    >(SNIP)
    > > No. Because you happen to be a dead end for a meme does not keep it from
    > > being a meme. After all, it was passed to you. My argument is that an
    > > idea that does not get passed at all falls short of being a meme. It darn
    > > sure does not become part of the culture pool. Of course, *all* ideas are
    > > potential memes at least until the single mind containing the meme
    > > dies. (And just because an idea is a meme does not keep it from still
    > > being an idea.)
    >
    > But in the case of apoptosis, what would happen if we should basically turn
    >the whole thing upside down !?
    >Instead of saying that the whole of the body is a result of self- organizing
    >cells,
    >can we say that the ( form of the) body resulted out of the suicide of other
    >cells !?

    Apoptosis is just one of many processes used in embryogenesis.

    >That we, humans, in a sense are just ' cut out ' of some genetic cardboard
    >!?
    >That thus, the ' neighbours ' of the cells we end up with are important and
    >not
    >the cells which has ' survived' .

    Sorry, but to me the empty spaces between the fingers are less important than the fingers.

    >In what way do those ' cells ' get passed and will those apply to be called
    >a ' meme ' if you say you ' re argument is that an idea that doesn 't get
    >passed
    >at all falls short of being a meme.
    >
    >I recon that thus ' death ' ideas are " passed on "....and thus in a sense,
    >' death '
    >memes too... !? No !?
    >In a way, those memes are on a death end, literally, but they stay ' alive '
    >any-
    >way.
    >If we know what the ' neighbouring ' aspects of any idea/ thought/
    >engram/...
    >are, ( thus the " death", filtered out effects) it will tell us, what is the
    >' meme ' !?

    I wish you would illustrate your postings with specific examples because even with effort I don't get a clear idea of what you are talking about. It would also help if you could set the margins closer or eliminate end of lines so the lines in your postings would not be broken up.

    As a possible example for what you are talking about, consider two stick and ball games, baseball and kricket. One could imagine a continuous range of games between these two, but as far as I know, there are no such examples. I suppose this fact could be used as an argument that both baseball and kricket are memes, perhaps since they are seldom played in the same area, competing memes.

    Keith Henson

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