Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA19536 (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 22:42:29 GMT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" From: "Philip A.E. Jonkers" <phae@uclink.berkeley.edu> Organization: UC Berkeley To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Mutation and Selection Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 13:42:00 -0800 X-Mailer: KMail [version 1.2] References: <1629.1006976861@www17.gmx.net> In-Reply-To: <1629.1006976861@www17.gmx.net> Message-Id: <01112813420000.14942@storm.berkeley.edu> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Wednesday 28 November 2001 11:47 am, you wrote:
> Hm i can kind of understand the "memes only in artefacts" point now.
> While it is not really complete (imho) it's the only view which is not
> unclear, confusing or cumbersome to use.
>
> So the next question is, if memes are only to be found in artefacts,
> where and how does mutation and selection of memes happen?
The brains do that, whether consciously or unconsciously,
and they will be the only entities capable of fulfilling that role until the
advent of artificial intelligent machines.
I do not second Gatherers view that memes are only found in artifacts.
We first should arrive at some consensus on what definition is
appropriate for the meme such that it also incorporates also
those synaptic configurations in the brain that ultimately give rise to
meme-artifacts. The definition I'm thinking of should incorporate that
most memes form not atomistic units (memes as units:
Dawkin's misleading fallacy), and do not have uniform representation
within the different brains (Gatherer's plausible point).
Philip.
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