From: Bpmatt1@aol.com
Date: Tue 10 Feb 2004 - 14:44:30 GMT
I think the first precise reference made to memetics using the gene-meme metaphor is by Jung. I stumbled across it the other day. I'll find the exact qoute and put it up on the list if anyone's interested, but it's something t to the effect of, "The body is constructed out of Mendelian units, it is not unreasonable to assume that the psyche is made out of similar units." He also likes to talk about the autonomous nature of complexes, and though he focuses on the positive force of religions more than the negative, he does have awareness about the mechanisms they use to spread. His ideas seem to me to be the true precursor of the meme-meme. I've also wondered, how memetics would deal with the issue of archetypal signs? Are they just a fundamental meme-set that is common to nearly all cultures? Are they a fundamental part of the pysche seperate from meme's? If so how do they interact and select for memes? I think this is of great philosophical importance for memetics, this is the main barrier memetics
would have to overcome to find itself a useful place, in psychology. I find using memetic models of the mind very useful in my own thinking, but they are limited by this particular question. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
-Matthew Broudy
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