Re: Laudable but Misguided

From: Wade T. Smith (wade.t.smith@verizon.net)
Date: Mon 26 May 2003 - 20:44:43 GMT

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    On Monday, May 26, 2003, at 03:22 PM, Joe wrote:

    > The thoughts we have are indeed cognitive; on this Wade has agreed.

    I doubt anyone disagrees.

    > However, memes are the subset of thoughts that may be transmitted to
    > and received from others,

    Not granted, as that supposition is merely definitional hand-waving, however-

    > via commonly understood preformative action/perception encoding
    > schemas.

    - granted, as a process of cognition and the cultural modus of mind.

    > It is logically inconsistent to on the one hand, acknowledge
    > that a set (thoughts) reside in the mind, and on the other hand, that a
    > subset of that set (communicable thoughts) do not reside there.

    It is again merely definitional hand-waving to declare that thoughts have subsets, as if the mind were indexed.... OTOH, it is fundamental that artifacts and memories are used to construct and maintain meaning in culture, indeed, that meaning is entirely dependent upon culture and its ability to maintain them. Symbols are thus maintained outside the mind, because no single mind is a culture, and never has been.

    - Wade

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