RE: Myths and Memes: Distinction?

From: Gatherer, D. (Derek) (D.Gatherer@organon.nhe.akzonobel.nl)
Date: Fri Jan 19 2001 - 07:56:55 GMT

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From: "Gatherer, D. (Derek)" <D.Gatherer@organon.nhe.akzonobel.nl>
To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Myths and Memes: Distinction?
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 08:56:55 +0100
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    I know very little about myths, but I do remember Levi-Strauss's bon mot
    that 'les mythes se pensent dans les hommes, et a leur ainsu' (the bit after
    the comma italicised in the original). You could probably write a whole
    thesis just on that. Mind you, the idea of myths somehow residing inside
    the brains (if you translate 'dans' in that way) of les hommes, and also
    being there without our knowledge (a leur ainsu) and that they somehow have
    a sort of autonomy (ie. they 'se pensent' themselves rather than being
    passively 'pensee' by us), is perhaps a little too internalist for me, so
    I'll leave it to people whose thinking tends more in the same direction as
    Levi-Strauss.

    Nice to see that FSU are taking up some memetics, now that UWF are giving it
    a whirl as well. What is it about Florida and memetics? The number of
    people on this list who have some sort of Florida connection seems to me to
    be greater than random chance (although I should of course reread Sue
    Blackmore's work on the ad hoc misjudgment of probability before jumping to
    such a conclusion....).

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Julio Varela [mailto:jav65@bellsouth.net]
    Sent: 19 January 2001 05:06
    To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    Subject: Myths and Memes: Distinction?

    Hello list members,

            I'm new to the list and a relative newcomer to the study of
    memetics. I'm a doctoral student at Florida State University (USA) in
    the Humanities department and my dissertation has a theoretical
    component that incorporates memetics. One of the issues I'm wrestling
    with is how to make a useful distinction between myths and memes: in
    short, what is the nature of their relationship? I would greatly
    appreciate any insights, reading recommendations and suggestions you all
    might have on this topic. Thank you very much.

    All the best,

    Julio Varela

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    see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit

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