Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id MAA28027 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 5 Jun 2000 12:04:35 +0100 From: Robin Faichney <robin@faichney.demon.co.uk> Organization: Reborn Technology To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: Jabbering ! Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2000 10:09:06 +0100 X-Mailer: KMail [version 1.0.21] Content-Type: text/plain References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D31017458A5@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Message-Id: <00060510231301.00606@faichney> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Mon, 05 Jun 2000, Vincent Campbell wrote:
>Ask people what a tie is for though- what's its functionality? What is the
>bit of material under your shirt collar supposed to do? I don't think most
>people would know, and would instead ascribe far more less manifest
>(although no less important) functions like those you mention. The problem
>then becomes one of arbitrariness- why does a strange bit of cloth around
>one's neck offer all these other (social) functions that they indeed do?
>
>Perhaps this is the distinctive element of cultural, as oppsed to say
>technological, artefacts, in that their (apparent) utility is highly
>flexible hence behaviours survive long after their origins have been
>forgotten.
Tools can be extremely flexible. Just ask anyone who ever used a knife as
a screwdriver! Though there's obviously a distinction to be drawn between
practical and social/psychological utility. But the main point I want to
make is that, on any broad definition of culture, i.e. not just fine art,
technology is part of it. That's what the "industrial evolution" thing is
about, isn't it?
Talking of which, the second instalment of the show we both saw last week
was on last night, don't know if you caught it, but again, I don't think
there was one reference to natural resource depletion. Plenty to economic
motivation, though! And contrasts with social conditions in continental
Europe, where innovations tended to be viewed as toys for the rich, rather
than commodities and income generators for the middle class. England
really was a nation of shopkeepers!
-- Robin Faichney===============================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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