Re: Kate's book/ "recessive memes"

From: Bill Spight (bspight@pacbell.net)
Date: Sat 26 Mar 2005 - 00:34:59 GMT

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    Dear Scott,

    > Is contrasting beliefs and memes splitting hairs? Kate
    > addresses this distinction in the context of
    > distinguishing her views from Blackmore's so there's
    > lots more than I can convey comfortably. Maybe she can
    > elaborate.
    >

    Well, it is splitting hairs in informal discourse, but is an important point. If somebody said to me that a certain belief was a meme, I would interpret it as that the propositional content of the belief was a meme
    (or memes). And that is how I meant it about the so-called "flat earth" meme.

    These days, if a child who has not been taught thinks that the earth is flat, I do not think that that's a meme. OTOH, for an adult who is a member of the Flat Earth Society, it is. ;-)

    Best,

    Bill

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