Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id VAA19256 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 28 Nov 2001 21:08:50 GMT Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 16:03:19 -0500 Subject: Re: Mutation and Selection Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed From: Wade Smith <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In-Reply-To: <1629.1006976861@www17.gmx.net> Message-Id: <59E2A664-E443-11D5-86B0-003065A0F24C@harvard.edu> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.475) Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> [AOM -] it's the only view which is not
> unclear, confusing or cumbersome to use.
Perhaps- that is why I'm staying behind its bunker for awhile....
> So the next question is, if memes are only to be found in artefacts,
> where and how does mutation and selection of memes happen?
No, that is not the next question. (And I'm not sure questions
are the order....) Memes are not _found_ in artefacts. All memes
_are_ artefacts.
You select them when you purchase, make, or use them. They are
'born' (they don't mutate in situ, any more than you do) when
they are made by the creative and cultural behaviors of the
human (open to debate) species, who use available environmental
resources. (Thus far, no-one has evidence of a meme produced by
the supernatural, although several religiously-induced
fabulations make mention of such artefacts.)
Thus, to stay with wheel making, the available resources are the
environmentally obvious success of the wheel design, the
multitude of engineering and material studies and analyzations,
including the historical aptitude of basic machines as parts of
mechanical design, and the marketing profiles of the intended
consumer, in the case of engineering for profitable product, to
mention but a few.
- Wade
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