RE: memetics/memics/mimetics

From: Vincent Campbell (VCampbell@dmu.ac.uk)
Date: Wed 28 Jan 2004 - 10:15:53 GMT

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    Hi,

    Just to say mimetics is something entirely unrelated to memetics as a theoretical concept.

    I believe there are two uses of mimetics:

    One is in nature, and refers to things like insects that look like plants, or plants that look like insects etc. etc.- in other words physiological mimicry in nature.

    The other is in literary criticism (there's a big book called mimesis I recall from undergrad days, but I can't recall the author), where it refers to attempts to capture moods, sensations, experiences etc. in written language (e.g. use of metaphors and so on).

    Those are probably both poor descriptions, but anyway, mimetics is not the same as memetics, or an alternative term for the same idea.

    Vincent

    > ----------
    > From: Keith Henson
    > Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 2:45 PM
    > To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > Subject: Re: memetics/memics/mimetics
    >
    > At 07:09 AM 26/01/04 -0500, jeremy wrote:
    > > >> every few months somebody comes in here and for some
    > > >> reason tries to redefine "meme." I or someone else
    > > >> generally pipes up, if only for the record.
    > >
    > >Given the current displeasure about definitions, I have to ask: Which
    > version
    > >is more correct for the study of infectious ideas, "memetics" (as has
    > become
    > >the convention),
    >
    > 137,000 hits on Google. Adding "meme" brings it down to 21,700
    > Category: Science > Biology > Sociobiology > Memetics
    >
    > >"memics" (after Dawkins, 1986/1991, p.158),
    >
    > 68 hits on Google, most of them not related to memes.
    >
    > >or "mimetics"
    > >(after Dawkins, 1976, p.192)?
    >
    > 18,400 hits. But adding "meme" drops it to 274 (many of which look very
    > interesting)
    > (Also Category: Science > Biology > Sociobiology > Memetics)
    >
    > So from usage memetics comes out ahead by on the order of 100 to one (at
    > this time).
    >
    > Commenting on the rest of your interesting post will take more time than I
    >
    > have now. Will try to get to it this evening.
    >
    > Keith Henson
    >
    >
    > ===============================================================
    > This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
    > Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
    > For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
    > see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
    >
    >

    =============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit

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