Re: Study shows brain can learn without really trying

From: Wade Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Mon Nov 26 2001 - 21:03:41 GMT

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Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 16:03:41 -0500
Subject: Re: Study shows brain can learn without really trying
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From: Wade Smith <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
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    > What do you include in artifacts? Directly shown behaviours,
    > talk and so on
    > too ?

    Yeah, a behavior is not a meme. (Although the film of a behavior is.)

    And while I'm out on this limb, (since this is where I
    intentionally put myself, and I'm still working on staying out
    here as long as I can), actions without physical products are
    not memes. Thus, yes, anything you say to me is behavior, but it
    is not a meme unless you record it and make the recording
    available to me, write it and make the paper available to me, or
    make something to illustrate it, and make that product available
    to me.

    While I could waffle off my perch, and declare that the motion
    of the air and the sound waves you create are artifactual
    products of your behavior, I still need to actually handle a
    meme, to use it, to produce mutations, and so far, mutating the
    air does nothing memetically, although it might crinkle your
    nose.

    And, I'm sure we've all seen quite animated behaviors among all
    sorts of people and animals, lots of sound and fury, but, alas,
    nothing to grab onto afterwards.

    And, yes, I turn to music, which also can and cannot be a meme.

    - Wade

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