Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA06640 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 21 Mar 2001 00:58:17 GMT X-Originating-IP: [209.240.222.130] From: "Scott Chase" <ecphoric@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: The Demise of a Meme Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 19:54:40 -0500 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <F1168aszmeeUwMJxPeR000093a1@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 21 Mar 2001 00:54:40.0353 (UTC) FILETIME=[827E2510:01C0B1A1] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
>Subject: RE: The Demise of a Meme
>Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 16:17:52 -0000
>
>This is a dreadful tale, that makes one feel guilty for laughing at the
>apparent gullibility of people. But it highlights the problems of
>societies
>run by the ancient rules of the medicine man in increasingly modernised
>societies.
>
>Of course, the memetic quality here, might be that the meme will survive
>those shot and killed, because as here, it won't be the magic that's blamed
>but the magician (or the recipient of the magic) for not performing the
>rite
>'correctly'.
>
>It would be interesting to monitor this rite, to see how long it persists,
>before people realise that unless the rite involves putting on a
>bullet-proof vest, it doesn't work. The interesting thing is that,
>rationally speaking, very few of any shamanic culture's rituals will really
>work so they must be very skilled at the art of magic in the showbiz sense
>of the word.
>
Didn't the ethnologist Lucien Levy-Bruhl explore some pre-rational
'collective representations' (actually a term coined by Durkheim if I'm not
mistaken). I'm vaguely recalling some discussion about trial by ordeal and
other assorted tales I can't quite get out of deep storage right now.
Somebody else has conjectured about Popperian world 3.
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