Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id LAA19721 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 16 Jan 2001 11:43:54 GMT Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745BD5@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: DNA Culture .... Trivia? Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 11:42:33 -0000 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>There are at least three camps; the G memers (memes only
> BETWEEN minds, in the world), the L memers (memes only
> WITHIN minds), and the camp to whicch I belong, the G + L
> memers (the life cycle of a meme involves both endocognitive and
> exocognitive stages). For members of the third camp, it is as
> impossible to understand how a meme could get mutated or
> selected between minds as it is to see how it could get replicated
> within one, and all of these are required for memes to evolve.>
>
Just one quick comment here on this point. Memes can get selected
between minds if they fool our generally indequate perceptions. So you
people watch someone perform a rain dance, it starts to rain, they make the
false connection between the dance and it raining. Next time you need rain,
you consider trying the dance out yourself. You do it, it doesn't work- and
you assume you didn't do the dance right. Lots and lots and lots of people
have similar personal habits and superstitions, e.g. sports stars that wear
'lucky' pants/shoes etc. One my mum persists with if that if you drop a
knife on the floor, someone else must pick it up- she doesn't know why
(other than it's bad luck). But I can see that if you said 'Oh that's
stupid!' and cut yourself whilst picking up the knife that false association
would persist (similarly with walking under ladders being bad luck).
(I think I've mentioned before Blackmore's earlier work on
probability misjudgement in this kind of context).
This can happen in other ways too, not only through mis-perception,
but in relation to our desire to improve (or even just maintain) our
position in the social hierarchy. Doesn't Blackmore in her book give the
idea that we copy those who are successful, and with that details irrelevant
to that person's success may be copied? e.g. a successful hunter who has
high social status happens to use red arrowflights, so as well as trying to
copy his hunting techniques, people copy other bits, like his red arrows.
Further, copying his red arrows, and his dress, maybe be a lot easier, take
a lot less effort, and may work as easily to improve the imitator's social
status, thus "mutation" may occur.
IMHO it's an idea that potentially prevents g-memes having no way to
spread.
Vincent
===============================================================
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 archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 16 2001 - 11:45:27 GMT