Re: memetics-digest V1 #1307

From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Sun 09 Mar 2003 - 19:49:29 GMT

  • Next message: Keith Henson: "Re: Memes For Peace-at-the-price-of-murder, torture, oppression and slavery"

    > At 12:24 PM 09/03/03 -0600, joedees wrote:
    >
    > snip
    >
    > >Sorry, but one of the primary differences between memetics and
    > >genetics is the identity of the shaping environment. For genetics,
    > >it is the terrestrial ecological environment; for memetics it is the
    > >cognitive gestalt.
    >
    > You might be saying what I do here just using different words. Memes
    > survive or fail to survive depending on several factors. A
    > hypothetical meme that you could fly by jumping off high buildings is
    > gonna fail because of physics. :-) I suppose physics could be
    > considered part of the cognitive gestalt. Phrenology failed largely
    > because it was judged lacking by the metameme of the scientific
    > method. That too might be considered part of the cognitive gestalt.
    >
    > It is also worth keeping in mind that memes and genes have effects on
    > each other. A meme for whacking off gonads or committing suicide, or
    > never having sex (Shakers) eliminates the genes for those who are
    > infected with such a meme. In time it might make the survivors
    > somewhat more skeptical.
    >
    All things that affect the survival or reproduction of cognitive gestalts.
    >
    > Keith Henson
    >
    >
    > ===============================================================
    > 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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