Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id BAA22097 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 16 Mar 2001 01:46:51 GMT Subject: Re: Toggling nature's auto-erase Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 20:43:12 -0500 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20010316014312.AAA29103@camailp.harvard.edu@[205.240.180.44]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Scott Chase -
>How could you have a life without memes if the meme of "memelessness" is
>propogated?
Of course, it is not right to speak of the meme of memelessness, any more
than it is right to speak of the white of whitelessness, or the 'x' of
any 'x'-lessness.
Are there memes at work when you lurch back from a hot stove?
This innate reaction/reflex is not memetic. (I think we can soundly
concur, here, on that point....) Now, what if the entire reaction we
could have to any input were on that same innate/reflex level, but,
somehow, shifted from unconscious, to conscious areas of thought?
In order to do that, all memetic processes, those filters of perceptions
that experience and the living of life (that which interrupts us when
we're planning something) dress us up with and that we clothe ourselves
in willingly, would have to be discarded - at least for the direct moment
of the perception - and thus, a _new_ perception will be gathered.
This, to me, has always been the artistic experience, has always been the
core of the creative experience, and has always been the method (if you
will), of the hero.
Joe's reminder to us that the Noble Savage lurks in the wings as a
mainstream spin-doctored romantic and lace-collared version of this raw
animal is important. Most 'counter-cultures' are faddish remnants of this
as well.
The artist remains, to me, at the head of this group. Buddha and Jesus
and Mohammed and the Great Zarquon come up somewhere near the end of the
line, rememberers of the tune, not players of the music. The rest of us?
Well, we sometimes buy the CD's....
- Wade
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