From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@rogers.com)
Date: Sun 24 Apr 2005 - 15:49:39 GMT
At 08:10 AM 23/04/05 -0700, Scott Chase wrote:
snip
>I'm reminded of Keith Henson's frequent
>refrain about how a gene can exist in a cell or "on
>paper" since Aunger addresses this too. I think Aunger
>is trying to diverge from the standard memetic
>assumption that memes can be represented as mental
>states, behaviors and artefacts.
One of the things valued in science is *simplicity.* What is the same in a
stretch of DNA and a listing of that DNA on paper or some other media? It
is the information.
Same with memes.
I don't know of exceptions to "memes are information" in any of the major
resources about memes/memetics on the net.
Does a brain contain a meme? Observing behavior will tell you. (Can the
kid tie his shoes? Does a person going into a dark room feel for the light
switch? Does the hitter walk away from home plate after failing to hit
three pitches?)
Does a printed page contain a meme? Have someone read it and find out if
their brain now contains the meme by the above test.
Does an artifact contain a meme? That's harder. Museums have these "what
it is?" displays. Sometimes nobody can figure out what something was or
was used for.
But they often do. Reverse engineering has been a substantial part of my
job at times.
Keith Henson
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