From: Richard Brodie (richard@brodietech.com)
Date: Mon 19 May 2003 - 01:55:40 GMT
Wade wrote:
<<Joe, and others, are convinced they have a theory about memes that
mirrors this discovery model- that it is only a matter of time before
enough evidence from fMRI and other cognitive investigative
technologies will provide the reality of the memeinthemind.>>
Thanks for mentioning this, because I think it's a common error with people
struggling to understand memetics. The only instrument necessary to provide
the reality of mental replicators is a No. 2 pencil on a standardized exam.
We know people can learn. We don't need to know exactly how the information
is stored to know it's there. We know knowledge influences behavior. If it
doesn't, Harvard is the biggest con game in the history of the world. So
when knowledge influences behavior in such a way that the knowledge spreads,
you have a replicator.
Curiously, many people find this difficult to understand. Dawkins found the
same about genetic evolution. I'm not sure why.
Richard Brodie
www.memecentral.com
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