Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA01453 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 25 Apr 2001 16:35:24 +0100 From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: The Status of Memetics as a Science Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 11:34:00 -0400 Message-ID: <NEBBKOADILIOKGDJLPMAKEKECCAA.debivort@umd5.umd.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 In-Reply-To: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745DF5@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Importance: Normal Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
I see memes as powerful but not all powerful structures. Some will be more
successful than others, and this will depend both on their individual
structural design and capabilities, and on the pre-existing memetic
environments with which they interact. Memes can be destroyed or neutralized
by more powerful or equally powerful memes. It's a jungle out there.
- Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
Of Vincent Campbell
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 9:40 AM
To: 'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'
Subject: RE: The Status of Memetics as a Science
Yeah, possibly.
I suspect it's also to do with profound problems of trying to measure these
attitudinal environments, especially since public opinion as a concept, and
polling as a research tool are highly problematic (despite being used
widely).
Vincent
> ----------
> From: William Benzon
> Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 1:32 pm
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Subject: Re: The Status of Memetics as a Science
>
> on 4/25/01 7:07 AM, Vincent Campbell at v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk wrote:
>
>
> >
> > ... b)
> > there are entire industries engaged in persuasive communication already
> who,
> > despite the money paid to them by clients, have absolutely no way of
> > predetermining the effectiveness of their efforts, and when they are
> > successful its largely nothing to do with them, and everything to do
> with
> > the attitudes of those they're trying to persuade).
>
> It's really quite amazing isn't it?
>
> Taken collectively, those attitudes are the environment in which these
> pesky
> little meme thingys must survive. But memeticists give almost zero
> attention to them.
>
> Why? I suspect because it would seem to diminish the power of these
> memes,
> making them seem less like self-propelled vehicles of mentation.
>
> BB, the curmudgeon
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ===============================================================
> This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
> Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
> For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
> see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
>
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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