Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA01486 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 9 Feb 2001 17:31:56 GMT Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745C52@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Darwinian evolution vs memetic evolution Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 17:31:08 -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
>> most memetic mutations must occur not within a mind but between
minds
<I'm not so sure - where do most 'new' ideas come from? I'd say
those
> that arise as a result of miscopying between actors are a minority (but
> I wouldn't like to put a figure on it); it seems to me that the majority
> of novel memes come from the interactions between resident memes in a
> mind (or in a group 'think tank' style, 'bouncing' ideas around [a
> metamind?]). Although the overwhelming bulk of these come originally
> from outside, the change seems (to me) to occur within a mind rather
> than in transfer. After all we have the old thing about whether two
> people can ever have the 'same' meme, because if you break it down they
> will have used different resident info to model the idea which is being
> transferred.>
>
Well, there are clear examples of behaviours emerging out of highly
suspect interpretations of external recorded information, such as the snake
handling christian sects that base their practices on what is, to any sane
person, a woeful misreading of the last few verses of Mark's gospel- verses
which historians aren't convinced even belong there anyway (since the two
earliest known manuscripts of this gospel don't include these verses- check
your bible to see if it mentions this, many editions do). Of course they
think they're doing god's bidding as laid down in the divine word of the
bible, but that doesn't mean they've accurately inferred what Mark was
trying to get across. (that's Mark the disciple, and not Mark Mills of this
list :-)).
I can't comment on your question.
Vincent
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