From: Dace (edace@earthlink.net)
Date: Fri 13 May 2005 - 17:52:40 GMT
Derek,
> At 03:23 09/05/2005, you wrote:
> >Why do you cringe at the sound of Sheldrake? Why not Elsasser?
>
> I cringe at the idea of having the list chopped, which is what will happen
> if Sheldrake keeps being dragged in. Believe me, with the forthcoming
move
> over to the Belgian hosting site from Manchester and the relaunch of JoM
> under its new name, there is very little incentive for the Mancunians to
> continue to support us. We don't want to annoy them.
Of course not.
The chief emotion in your post is fear, precisely what powers taboo. I too
cringe at the thought of this discussion group getting the ax. But either
it'll happen or it won't. Mentioning the name "Sheldrake" is not going to
make a dime's difference.
Sheldrake is relevant here not because we'll get "chopped" if we keep
dragging him in but because you're afraid of him. Taboos take on power to
the extent that they spread. The more people who fear the taboo, the more
readily it replicates from mind to mind, much like a wildfire that gains
strength with each shrub consumed in its fury. Fear of the taboo-- and
annoyance (or worse) at people who dare "touch" it-- amplifies its repulsive
force.
Taboo is a good example of the way memes displace individual (conscious)
selection with group selection. Agency shifts from people to memes, and
behind the meme stands the group, much as a field stands behind a swarm of
magnetic particles. In this way memetics entails precisely the holistic
thinking that makes Sheldrake taboo.
ted
===============================================================
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 archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri 13 May 2005 - 18:08:02 GMT