From: Wade T. Smith (wade.t.smith@verizon.net)
Date: Tue 20 May 2003 - 01:10:43 GMT
On Monday, May 19, 2003, at 08:21 PM, Keith wrote:
> Do you have any doubt that the physical representation of a meme in a
> brain
> (where memes exist as a class of memory) can be found?
The typical blind spot revealed by this question is this- nothing, in
cognitive theory, or in actual fMRI studies, has shown any need to
_classify_ memory, and certainly there is no reason, other than sheer
imaginative or protective defense, to claim there are classes of
memory, especially to the degree that a unique class of memory exists
that has to be called a meme.
Again, the memeinthemind model requires too much to be a validly
functioning scientific model.
Why, and how, does memory have classes? Is not that conjecture a
frivolous and specious one from the get?
Even in the following example, all you show is positional
neurostructures, not 'classes of memories'.
> We can't
> see them (yet) but memes-in-the-brain can be detected by the effects
> they
> have in experiments such as baseball-island.
The baseball island scenario was senseless as a detector of anything
but the skill of a teacher to explain a game. Nothing about
memesinthemind could be inferred or detected by that experiment.
Indeed, in your explanation of it, you denied the teacher any role.
Now _that_ was obvious. And telling someone that a teacher teaches is,
as you say, _too_ obvious for funding.
- Wade
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