Re: Giving a presentation on memetics

From: Ray Recchia (rrecchia@frontiernet.net)
Date: Mon 05 Dec 2005 - 13:08:38 GMT

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    >Ted wrote:
    >
    >There's no cultural evolution without a shift of agency from meme to person.
    >Like natural evolution, cultural evolution is characterized by punctuated
    >equilibrium. Memes are nothing more than collective habits of thought and
    >behavior. When memes are in charge, culture stays roughly the same. Only
    >when a new meme is unleashed as the result of conscious intervention does
    >culture move forward. As agency shifts back from people to memes, cultural
    >equilibrium is restored.

    Just thought I would jump in on this small point. The notion of brainstorming for engineering or marketing ideas is a meme. The scientific method is a meme. The patent system is another. They are evolved memes passed by cultural transmission that promote the creation of other memes. Chromosomal mixing through sexual reproduction is an example of something similar in biological evolution.

    Ray Recchia

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