From: Wade T. Smith (wade.t.smith@verizon.net)
Date: Fri 23 May 2003 - 19:38:01 GMT
On Friday, May 23, 2003, at 02:43 PM, Richard wrote:
> What exactly is "non-menatlist" memetics? Do you have a model of
> cultural
> evolution that does not involve minds?
I can't speak for Bill, but what I understand as his (and my) meaning
of 'non-mentalist' is simply any theory of cultural evolution
(memetics) that does not demand any specific or necessary unit of
mental agency called the 'meme' which resides in a brain.
That is to say, any theory that requires the mental non-residency of
the quantum memetic unit, which is, by convention of definition, to be
called the meme. The smallest possible replicator.
A theory of memetics that involves only artifacts is a non-mentalist
theory. The performance theory is another. Gatherer's memes, or
G-memes, are non-mental. Bill's phemotype (cultural phenotype) theory
is another.
All these theories get most of the work done, but some of them are
trimmer and lighter on their feet.
- Wade
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