Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id HAA19609 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 20 Aug 2001 07:55:30 +0100 Subject: Re: Morphic fields Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001 20:41:56 -0400 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: <20010820004157.AAA14585@camailp.harvard.edu@[205.240.180.72]> Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Kenneth Van Oost -
>In a way, and you may laugh, the more people learn to ride a bike
>or a car, the easier it becomes for future generations to learn it too.
I only laugh at funny things.
But, honestly, the only thing that having a lot of bicycle riders helps
is the ease of seeing a bicycle rider- in that one wouldn't need to check
out a rare book or see an obscure film to have evidence of bicycle
riding, or, gasp, invent and ride one first.
Seeing that someone _can_ do something (ride a bicycle) helps one
overcome the hurdle of the inertia from non-experience, but it in no way
helps one actually accomplish the feat (of balancing upon a bicycle),
except, as I said, in releaving any doubt about the possibility, because,
one might never suspect that something (riding a bicycle) is even
possible without seeing someone else do it.
However, the wonder of humanity is that someone did make that first
bicycle, and, lo, did ride upon it. But really, asking us to believe (and
only belief is possible here) that, the more bicycle riders there are,
the easier it is to learn to balance upon a bicycle, is simple
hogfritters.
Ubiquity is just that.
- Wade
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