Re: Robert Aunger essay

From: Scott Chase (ecphoric@hotmail.com)
Date: Sun 16 Apr 2006 - 17:14:16 GMT

  • Next message: Robin Faichney: "Re: Robert Aunger essay"

    >From: Robin Faichney <robin@mmmi.org>
    >Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    >To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    >Subject: Re: Robert Aunger essay
    >Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 11:18:28 +0100
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    >It's interesting the way this discussion has developed. The issue of the
    >definition of the meme evolved very quickly into a discussion of "substrate
    >neutrality". Examples where the same information is carried on different
    >media were put forward by Kate, Keith and myself merely to emphasize the
    >nature of information, and thus the fact that memes, as items of
    >information, can be and are encoded not just in brains OR behavioural
    >patterns, but in brains AND behavioural patterns AND all kinds of
    >artifacts. That issue -- definition -- seems to me much more important --
    >especially given the fact that nobody has suggested that the substrate is
    >entirely neutral. But few of us seem to be very interested in it.
    >
    Well Mogens mentioned Medium Theory and McLuhan. Jesse discussed aspects of the source that might be important to a given receiver. I'd say there's a few of us interested in these topics relted to media.

    If a receiver is sexist they might discount info presented by a woman as source. Jesse also raised a good point about the vocal qualities of a source where he was turned off by a speaker on an audiobook so much that he gave up and bought the traditional paper/ink codex format.

    Besides voice there are other qualities of a speaker that may have an impact on the transmission of info, such as credibility, authority, attractiveness, similarity to receiver, etc. Such things cannot be discounted.

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