Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA10187 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 20 Jan 2001 16:30:56 GMT Message-Id: <200101201628.LAA24644@mail2.lig.bellsouth.net> From: "Joe E. Dees" <joedees@bellsouth.net> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 10:34:08 -0600 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Re: phenotypic plasticity and ontogeny In-reply-to: <5.0.2.1.0.20010120095358.01ca3810@pop3.htcomp.net> References: <20010120045907.AAA22165@camailp.harvard.edu@[204.96.32.113 ]> X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01b) Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Date sent: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 10:11:38 -0600
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
From: Mark Mills <mmills@htcomp.net>
Subject: Re: phenotypic plasticity and ontogeny
Send reply to: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Wade,
>
> At 12:00 AM 1/20/01 -0500, you wrote:
> >So, I'm more and more seeing the meme as a special functional
> >unit of behavior- a tool of the neural system that develops from the
> >phenotypic plastic. And I see it as a 'sexual' element (and, so far, only
> >as the 'male' element) of communication.
>
> Consider this story. A fellow wants to tell his girl friend that he loves
> her. He gets a dozen roses, brings it to her house and presents it to her.
>
> The guy wants to 'plant' the concept 'I love you' in the girl's head by
> presenting her with a gift.
>
> So, what happens next?
>
> The results are not predictable. If we watch 100 of these behavioral
> events, 70 times the gift produces a kiss, 30 times it produces a cold icy
> stare. What happened?
>
> One interpretation would be that the gift produces a reaction based on the
> receiver's contextual understanding of the situation. If the girl's
> contextual status prior to the gift ritual was 'Oh, my sweetheart,' a kiss
> is probably returned. If the girl's contextual status was 'I wonder what
> he is trying to hide', the gift ritual produces an icy stare.
>
> In other words, before the gift (sign) produces an internal memory for the
> girl, the sign is convoluted with her contextual understanding. This
> happens for every sign we perceive. They are convoluted with our
> contextual understanding prior to being memorized. One might say 'sign'
> giving is the male side and convoluting perception and context the female.
>
> Does that sound enough like memetic sex for you?
>
The propagators or distributors (disSEMINators) of memes could
be viewed to be the 'male' side, and those prospective candidate
recipients who select, for whatever reason, to accept or reject them
could be viewed as the 'female' side.
>
> Mark
>
>
> http://www.htcomp.net/markmills
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