Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA28139 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 19 Jun 2000 19:56:42 +0100 Message-ID: <000901bfda23$cdd40d00$c00bbed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <Pine.OSF.4.21.0006110929380.25226-100000@marple.umd.edu> Subject: Re: Memetic engineering/ Lawrence Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 21:22:22 +0200 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence H. de Bivort <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2000 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: Imitation or transmission?
> On Sun, 11 Jun 2000, Kenneth Van Oost wrote:
>
> >merits. Which is why I like this list, fragmentation and all. The area
> >missing from this list,
> >and properly so, IMO, is that of engineering.
> >
> >Lawrence, to which field of engeering are you prefering to !?
> >Technological, biological, mechanical, genetical,...
>
> "Memetic" engineering. I'm not sure who coined this term, but the idea is
> that it might be possible to design and release a meme with a specified
> goal. I'm not sure this constitutes a 'field' of engineering <grin>.
>
> Kenneth, you and I have taken the first steps toward a very interesting
> discussion some time in the past: that of self-building via memes. (This
> is a key interest to me, but difficult for me personally to explore, and I
> appreciate your patience.) If this were do-able, or useful, it could, I
> think, be viewed as an element of memetic engineering...
Lawrence some thoughts about memetic engineering.
<< Memetic engineering contains not only a whole range of concepts
lincked to our personal lives, but I think also aspects of the environment
which we live in are memetical engineered.
The first category consist out of << abstract fields >> like
interpretations
(we can't pin point who will what interprete as...) and the feeling
loosing oneself/ emotions (fallin' in love) and those building blocks for
our
identity (confidence/ narcism/ responsibility).
The second category are fields lincked to language, " we need to design
and release those specified memes to get people back into the human
world " ( aphasia and autism are included but I think depression/ the
stories about what Tarzan/ Nel and Seven of Nine have indured are
better suited to explain this kind of memetical engineering.
A sub-category could consist out of f.e. writing (books/ music/ this post/
poetry/...( special memes are designed and released to get our attention).
The last category are those fields lincked to our surroundings, lets say
<< environmental engineered memes >>.
I will give you an example based on an article which game under my
attention.
< An Antropological Theory Round The house/ by René Devisch >>
The author claims in his article and I agree on his point of view that our
parental house is/ was very important:- it is like a second skin.
But in his theory the author goes mush further than that; he claims that we
place our separate rooms in a hierarchical line: the living room is then
public, the bedroom private, the kitchen stabnds for the stomach.
All of this have to do with the fact that we see those rooms (unconscient)
as parts of our body_the façade and livingroom are public and those
concur with our face, the part of our body which is exposed the most to
the outside world.
I think that is may be why man and woman are always busy with their
appearance, (smink,mascare, plastic chirurgy) and it is maybe why we
spent so mush time painting,cleaning,repearing our windows and frontdoors.
Even rebuilding,decorating some parts of the house, (building patio's, ve-
randa's,garages) [for the face piercing,mascara etc] are in that respect
may be part of the concept. Also gardening,washing the car...all what is
possible visible from the street has to be perfect.
It is a mirror of what we are_look at somebody's house and we tell you
who you are !
In that respect I catch myself in the same doing_my house is my castle,and
for what it is worth my memories of my parental home are quit vivit.
Strange though, that I can remerber those things even I only lived in the
house for a few years !
Also strange, the concept of the garage, we build them as above mentioned
for our own benefit. They are exposed to the public, for everybody
to see. We buy big cars, BMW/ Mercedes etc, we wash them on the
street so that everybody can see it, but when it is done we park them back
in the garage_public becomes in an instant private.
Have fun,
Regards,
Kenneth
(I am, because we are)
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