Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id KAA17524 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 5 Nov 2001 10:48:24 GMT Message-ID: <3BE66D54.38BEF3D4@bioinf.man.ac.uk> Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 10:43:32 +0000 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: Re: Study shows brain can learn without really trying References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3102A6D0E3@inchna.stir.ac.uk> <004801c163dd$35155fc0$6186b2d1@teddace> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Do you really think steps 1 and 4 are essentially the same as steps 2 and 3?
> Of course there's no self involved in steps 2 and 3. But these only follow
> automatically. There's nothing automatic about steps 1 and 4. The message
> would never have been created without an individual to have thought of it,
> and it can't be understood except by a person who reads it. Only when I
> write it and you read it is it a "message." Otherwise it's just blind,
> electronic impulses. Transmission of electronic impulses requires no self.
> Transmission of ideas and memes does. In fact, a meme is an idea that takes
> on its own self-existence.
Does the self need to be more than just a stucture built of memes for
this to work? (I'd say no because amongst other things I like the irony
involved - as if a library became self aware and started deciding which
books successfully got in - cue the ecosystem metaphors).
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Chris Taylor (chris@bioinf.man.ac.uk)
http://bioinf.man.ac.uk/ »people»chris
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