From: Philip Jonkers (philosophimur@dygo.com)
Date: Tue 20 May 2003 - 11:59:20 GMT
Bill:
>Jack and Jill are sitting in the park under an apple tree. They see an
>apple front of them on the ground. Each is looking at the apple so there is
>something in Jack's brain that corresponds to the apple and something in
>Jane's brain that corresponds to the apple. But there is no replication
>from one brain to the other. Each is looking at and recognizing the apple
>independently of the other.
>
>What I'm arguing is that the situation is not much different if they're
>sitting on a bus and Jack writes "apple" on a piece of paper and hands it to
>Jill. Now they've both got something in their heads that corresponds to
>"apple." But there has been no replication from one mind to the other, no
>"downloading" of information from one brain to the other.
>
>In this second scenario imagine that Jack and Jill never knew one another
>prior to sitting down on the bus. Whatever it is the arises in Jill's head
>when she sees the piece of paper was there before she ever met Jack. Nothing
>has been transferred from Jack's head to Jill's. All that has happened is
>that Jack has caused Jill to call up something in her mind that corresponds
>to "apple." It may be more or less "like" what is in Jack's mind. But it
>has not been transmitted or replicated from one to the other. Those
>concepts don't tell you what is going on.
>
>Now, what if, instead of "apple," Jack had written "quantum indeterminacy,"
>or "justice" or "meme" on the paper? What's the chance that those words
>would evoke more or less the same thing in Jill's head that already exists
>in Jack's?
Vanishingly small indeed.
Interesting point and appealing analogy. So if memes don't have a
clear-cut physical representation in the brain as I contended also is
there a possibility that memes have a place in the mind then? Since
memories are obviously very private and unique the definition of a meme must be broad enough to call a mental representation of meme1 in person A also meme1 in person B.
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