Re: memetics reference on news

From: derek gatherer (dgatherer2002@yahoo.co.uk)
Date: Mon 13 Oct 2003 - 08:08:01 GMT

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     --- Bill Hall <bill.hall@hotkey.net.au> wrote:
    > Thus, the applicability of the term does not
    > necessarily assume an
    > acceptance of a memetic interpretation of the nature
    > of belief and
    > knowledge.

    That's true. It's not absolutely necessary.

    > To me, the concept of a tipping point relates more
    > to the concept of a
    > Kuhnian paradigm shift, when the accumulation of
    > acceptance and evidence
    > reaches a point of inflection where the new paradigm
    > becomes dominant.

    But does the new paradigm become instantly dominant? The cultural selectionist view would be that there is period where rival research programmes compete, and that may well be after the point of inflection, but before the achievment of dominance.

    For instance, in evolutionary biology, the point of inflection for the 'New Synthesis' was probably Fisher's 1930 book, but dominance had to wait until the 50s (see Steve Gould's "Structure of Evolutionary Theory", Harvard, Belknap.)

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