Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id HAA08685 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 20 Sep 2000 07:26:37 +0100 From: <LJayson@aol.com> Message-ID: <8e.aba1cc9.26f9b1d5@aol.com> Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 02:23:17 EDT Subject: Re: Point of Memetic Saturation To: Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be CC: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 117 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Ken,
You wrote:
Some time ago I started a thread called Point Of Memetic Saturation, which
eventually ended up in a thread Gender Bias For Memes, but that is another
story. Anyway,
Point of memetic saturation there are two sides,
First, a point of saturation as in our brains can take no more. Can we
gentical
evolve then furthere to host more memes !?
In our solipsistc view, only our memes determine the outcome.
IMHO, if memes would evolve further, in a solipsistic way that is, they will
evnetually dispose of our fleshy bodies. That is, technology would be so far
advanced that memes can propagate without needing a human brain to do so.
Second, a point of saturation as in there are no ideas left to be " memed
".
There are no ideas left to come up with_everything is said and done.
In our solipsistc view that means that memes don 't evolve any further.
That is, each meme(plex) is at the end of its own memetic lineage. New
neural connections couldn 't be made due f. e. that our brain is too small
(see point 1, only our memes can determine the outcome.)
On the other hand, if our brain is sophisticated enough, but our memes/
thoughts/ etc don 't evolve any further, IMHO, we have to look then to our
memes. In that case, we have to account for the possibility that memes have
some degree of " life ".
Hi Ken,
I would like to make a few comments about your interesting
ideas.
If we ever reach a point of meme saturation where our brains can
no longer accomodate additional memes, then the world would
reach a point of status quo. The Homo sapien would have to
live with what he has until, and if, his skull becomes larger,
through genetic evolution, able to enclose a larger concentration
of memes. Problem is that genetic evolution requires millions of
years, whereas memetic evolution is vastly more rapid.
Len:
Regarding your statement: "IMHO, if memes would evolve further,
in a solipsistic way that is, they will evnetually dispose of our fleshy
bodies. That is, technology would be so far advanced that memes
can propagate without needing a human brain to do so."
A meme is no more than a construct to explain cultural
evolution; without human brains, memes would be "homeless"
and be unable replicate; our brain, if you will, is the engine
of replication
While an animal may be a live creature, its meme
representation is inanimate.
Len
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