Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id MAA19382 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 24 Aug 2000 12:23:05 +0100 Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D31017459BA@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: handedness and memes Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 12:20:43 +0100 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Mark,
I've mentioned this in relation to writing, in the sense of it being read
from left to right, or from right to left (or vertically for that matter).
Anecdotally, my mother was originally left-handed, but was made at school,
to learn to write with her right hand (back in the 1940s I think). I take
from that, the possibility that at the time, and prior to it, how one was
taught to write included controlling handedness. The question of why comes
to mind (although someone pointed out earlier on the list that, for
practical reasons you wouldn't want your arm resting on what you'd just
written, especially if it was still wet ink).
As to tie knots, this whole thing has brought back a vague memory of a study
someone did a few years ago on exactly how many different ways there were to
tie a tie (I saw it on 'Tomorrow's World'). They worked it out
mathematically, and the advantage of this, I assume would be in allowing
memeticists to map the spread of particular kinds of knot, to hopefully show
that despite the possible variations, only a few are in widespread use
(which is what I would guess). As usual I haven't a clue exactly who did
the study or when, so apologies for that, but there has definitely been
something published in the UK in the last few years on this, so it would be
worth checking out.
As to meme handedness, well I think memes are neutral in this regard- think
of all the sports in which the techniques for left and right handers are
exactly the same (or, for that matter right or left footed sports people).
Of course, lefties in some sports are more noticeable (e.g. in golf or
ice-skating) because everything looks back-to-front in comparison to the
other competitors, but not so much in other sports (e.g. baseball, cricket
or tennis).
On the other hand, in the sporting context, being left-handed can allow for
new technical strategies when playing against a right-hander. For example,
in tennis, lefties have an advantage when serving in being able to serve
strongly to a rightie's back-hand, which a rightie will be less used to than
the other way around (because there are fewer left-handed tennis players).
In cricket a mix of right and left handed batsmen causing problems for
bowlers who have to change their angle of attack which benefits the batsmen;
and in baseball the ability of some batters to bat on both sides can really
mess with the pitcher. So handedness here can result in different playing
strategies techniques- equivalent to new memes?
Probably not the kind of response you're after, but there you go.
Vincent
> ----------
> From: Mark M. Mills
> Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 5:23 pm
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Subject: handedness and memes
>
> If we look at a simple example of memetic activity, 100 Windsor Knots, one
>
> of the first things we might note is handedness. I'm only guessing, but
> 90% of Windsor Knots are probably constructed with the horizontal 'facing'
>
> loop crossing from right to left (observer's view). If one had a knot
> description language, the left and right handed Windsor knots would be
> identical, except for looping directions.
>
> There may social situations were the left-handed Windsor Knot is
> inappropriate, but generally the two variations produce the same social
> response.
>
> There is probably a strong correlation between 'constructor handedness'
> and
> the handedness of the Windsor Knot. Probably 95% of Windsor knots are
> tied
> with the same 'handedness' as their constructor's handedness.
>
> Additionally, it ought to be added that linkage between handedness and
> genetics is not well understood. Identical twins can have opposite
> handedness despite sharing identical genes. There are genes that seem to
> be expressed by left or right handedness, but the origin of handedness
> itself remains puzzling.
>
> http://azriel.med.harvard.edu/~mlevin/lr_medhypot.pdf
> http://azriel.med.harvard.edu/~mlevin/EM_review.pdf
>
> With all this said, I'm interested in how the group here categorizes meme
> handedness. Are left and right handed versions members of a single meme
> population? different memes?
>
> A study of replication would probably find that left-handed Windsor Knots
> can produce a new generation of right-handed Windsor Knots (and vice
> versa). A father is likely to ignore handedness issues when teaching his
> opposite handed son. Does this mean that left and right hand versions
> constitute a single replication pathway (one meme). Alternatively, since
> handedness of the Windsor knot is better correlated to creator creator
> than
> teacher handedness (prior generation), second generation knots represent a
>
> 'convolution' of visual experience and neural biology, not replication.
>
> Taking a third course, one might say that the 'idea' Windsor Knot has no
> handedness of its own. The two versions are varied by constructor bias
> (handedness), but handedness is a reflex, below the level of cognition
> required for memorizing the idea Windsor Knot.
>
> None of this helps us understand the population proportions of left and
> right handed Windsor Knots, though. We are still forced to investigate
> human biology to find a source for non-random Windsor Knot handedness.
> Put
> another way, study of the Windsor knot replication and handedness
> (memetics) force us to back to questions about neural dynamics producing
> handedness.
>
> Anyone else find handedness an interesting aspect of memetics?
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> ===============================================================
> 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 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
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