Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA11850 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 12 Sep 2000 16:33:18 +0100 Message-ID: <000f01c01cd2$cd8aa7e0$a301bed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D31017459FC@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Subject: Re: Article, A Solipsistic View On Memetics Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 17:57:22 +0200 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Vincent, you wrote,
> OK- but how do we measure that beyond each self?
<< Taking up the possibility to investigate each individual, each
behavioural-
pattern of that same individual, looking at each meme, each thought and see
in how it differs from all the others. An impossible task, I know.>>
> That's one problem with solipsism in that you can't empirically test any
of
> its assertions, since whatever you 'find' must be a product of your mind,
> since the world only exists within it.
> It becomes absurdly reductive.
> On the other hand I see more clearly Kenneth's idea that memes may act
> solipsistically, as if there were no other memes but them. But that's a
> different point.
<< Thanks, Vincent. I knew you come around.
There are other memes, but no meme is aware of the others. Each acts upon
its own solipsistic memetic lineage_each memeplex does the same. Each
meme(plex) is working in/ from/ with/ by and for its own niche, and that is
solipsistic !!
Each is, put in other words an island drifting around not aware of there are
others, but all together they make up a vast piece of land.
One of the problems of memetics (and for that matter the whole of the socio-
sciences) is that they look for collectiviness, for Sameness, where in my
view
it would be better to take up a more individualistic, a more Difference
approach.
With the scientific evidence that noone is/ acts the same, in my book,
collec-
tiviness is not existent. There is none !
Each part of society ( definition, institute, rule etc.) is possible
decomposable
in " individualistic " particles.
Some may, in two subjects, be the same, but if you will decompose further
you will always find a difference. But of course, if you tackle language,
words,
ideas and memes and you do try to decompose them, you ran into trouble.
( Web: file://zeus.bris.ac.uk/~enrhc/research.html) ( Robert Clewley)
You can 't discover the origins of any idea into someone's brain (not yet),
but I suppose, with the solipsistic view at hand you can solve the problem,
at least with a witticism, not very scientific...
At the bottom of each possible concept there are memes, coming into exis-
tence ex- hypothesi or from their own case. As long as we can 't " hold "
a meme in our hands, we have to settle for that.
And with the notion that whatever I find is a product of my mind, it has to
be
true_constantly I have to readjust myself in order to keep track of myself_
in each new situation (and that is a constant process) I am confronted with
other, untill than, not- known- to- me- memes. My brain is constantly trying
to catch up with the reality which it created itself ( or the memes did).
It 's a grazy world.....each moment new memes come into existence, create
their own lineages and niches. Some of them become conscient in our mind,
others run down somewhere in the badlands.
Imagine what your mind is going through just trying to read this...and for
that matter in trying to understand this...
Many regards,
Kenneth
( I am, because we are)
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