Re: Darwinizing Culture: The Status of Memetics as a Science

From: Scott Chase (ecphoric@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Apr 21 2001 - 23:55:06 BST

  • Next message: Scott Chase: "RE: Darwinizing Culture: The Status of Memetics as a Science" 

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From: "Scott Chase" <ecphoric@hotmail.com>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Darwinizing Culture: The Status of Memetics as a Science
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 18:55:06 -0400
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    >From: Robin Faichney <robin@ii01.org>
    >Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    >To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    >Subject: Re: Darwinizing Culture: The Status of Memetics as a Science
    >Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 15:16:50 +0100
    >
    >On Thu, Apr 19, 2001 at 02:06:55PM +0100, Vincent Campbell wrote:
    > > <Religion is typically about following after entities which possibly
    > > don't
    > > > even exist. Memetics could be in the same ballpark, but I wonder if
    >this
    > > > means memetics too is dangerous and insiduous.>
    > > >
    > > Indeed, indeed. This is I think what some ignore, others embrace,
    > > and some of us worry about constantly.
    >
    >I think that in some cases at least, an entity must be considered to
    >exist, for some purposes, and not to do so, for others.
    >
    Is memetics a way of seeing which may/may not apply to the real world?
    >
    >Don't those who feel strongly against that proposition need to find very
    >clear definitions of "entity" and "existence"?
    >
    >
    Can it be said that these entities called memes actually exist in the real
    world beyond the confines of this list and the thinking caps of those
    posting here? Is memetics a good idea (something useful with application and
    correspondence to reality) or a good meme (something good at propagating
    itself; a mind virus about infectious ideas) or perhaps both (or neither)?

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