Re: A Question for Wade

From: Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Mon Nov 26 2001 - 14:09:08 GMT

  • Next message: Wade T.Smith: "Re: Verbal memeticism" 

    Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id OAA13111 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 26 Nov 2001 14:14:42 GMT
Subject: Re: A Question for Wade
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 09:09:08 -0500
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 list" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Message-ID: <20011126140942.AAA15869@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]>
Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk

    On 11/26/01 07:34, salice@gmx.net said this-

    >You are right in reducing memes to what can be found in physical artifacts.

    Thanks. I don't see it as a matter of right- I see it as a matter of
    utility and parsimony.

    >But you limit physical artifacts too much.

    I thought I was painting them with possibly too broad a brush- it is a
    nag at me, this fact that just about everything ever made is a meme.
    Certainly everything made _again_ is. And everything made with a want to
    have it used could be. But the hermit who takes his mousetrap with him
    takes even the memeness of it away.

    But what makes meme A be taken up and made again? Let us find the
    evolutionary niche of the actual artifact- where do we see teenagers'
    jeans once again cut below the bellybutton? Map this niche. Predict where
    it will be next. Make a science with this thing.

    - Wade

    ===============================================================
    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 archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Nov 26 2001 - 14:20:39 GMT