Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id SAA03313 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 4 Sep 2001 18:18:01 +0100 Message-ID: <3B950BB4.DE5E703F@bioinf.man.ac.uk> Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 18:13:24 +0100 From: Chris Taylor <Christopher.Taylor@man.ac.uk> Organization: University of Manchester X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.77 [en] (Windows NT 5.0; U) X-Accept-Language: en To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: HAL References: <NEBBKOADILIOKGDJLPMAIEOGCFAA.debivort@umd5.umd.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Ok not *that* HAL (heuristic blah blah), but this is yet another
computing-inspired thought.
I think that the object oriented programming languages (C++, Java etc.),
based on separate interacting objects, each with their own information
and functionality, reflect fairly closely the way the world is. That is
old hat, and actually the intention of the language designers, so it's
hardly surprising. Memes are like that I think, but thats not my point
here...
Under the windows (NT/2K anyway) there is something called the Hardware
Abstraction Layer (HAL...). This is (forgive my poor computer science) a
set of virtual devices (disk drives, cards, motherboard stuff) for the
operating system to interact with, safe in the knowledge that the
*actual* hardware doesn't matter, only the virtual device that the OS
'sees'.
Ok, cut to a human subject with a severe leg injury. This person has to
learn to walk again, involving some really intricate muscle use changes
(to compensate for the injury). However, assuming there is enough
functionality left in the leg to compensate, after a few years the
person will be able to walk without giving it a second thought, because
the person is thinking 'walk over there' not 'use muscle x'.
This then is a HAL for human movement (and I'm just picking this as an
easy example). The reason I mention it (and I dare say someone has
already done all this), is because I have a view of memes that includes
even the most basic movement programs - now I know that noone is gonna
copy these things, so technically they're not memes, but the point is
they are units of functionality + information, which interact with other
such units to build larger structures.
People keep asking what is the point of memetics; well I think that if
we can get away from this restrictive 'mind virus' paradigm and start to
think about what these things actually are, we'll find that all you need
really is memetics and neurobiology to explain us completely (because
psychology and sociology are like ethology and ecology are to biology -
subsets).
Patricia Churchland said in a book I read (parts of) that she'd guess
there were six or seven levels of complexity between nerve impulses and
'us'. I think these are layers of ever more sophisticated class of meme
(ok so I hijacked the word - I don't care, shoot me). 'Motor abstraction
layer' memes could be one of these low levels, of which 'higher order'
memes are constructed.
I'm not sure I got that across as well as I'd hoped, but hey. Tear me to
bits then guys and gals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Taylor (chris@bioinf.man.ac.uk)
http://bioinf.man.ac.uk/ »people»chris
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