Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA20473 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 29 Nov 2001 04:21:41 GMT Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 20:16:41 -0800 Message-Id: <200111290416.fAT4Gfd26429@mail17.bigmailbox.com> Content-Type: text/plain Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary X-Mailer: MIME-tools 4.104 (Entity 4.116) X-Originating-Ip: [216.76.254.223] From: "Joe Dees" <joedees@addall.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: A Question for Wade Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk('binary' encoding is not supported, stored as-is)
>Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 10:58:32 +0000
> memetics@mmu.ac.uk Re: A Question for Wade Robin Faichney <robin@ii01.org>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>
>On Tue, Nov 27, 2001 at 04:11:31PM -0500, Lawrence DeBivort wrote:
>> Scott asks:
>>
>> > What's so special about the "meme" term? Why can't we just use "idea",
>> > "belief", or "concept" to say the same thing? As Ernst Mayr says of the
>> > meme:
>> >
>> > (bq) "It seems to me that this word is nothing but an unnecessary
>> > synonym of
>> > the term "concept"." (eq)
>>
>> Yes, unfortunately, some have fallen into this too-broad definition of meme.
>> I prefer to limit 'meme' to refer to those ideas, concepts, beliefs that are
>> self-disseminating and self-protecting.
>
>That's funny, because for me it's too narrow.
>
>While a distinction can certainly be drawn between communicated and
>uncommunicated ideas, I don't see it as very significant, and only in
>relatively rare situations would what is at one point in time an example
>of the latter be barred from later being communicated.
>
>On the other hand, in a community without linguists or the like, most
>or all characteristics of the local accent are memes of which noone is
>ever conscious, ie memes but not ideas, concepts or beliefs. The value
>of the term meme is that it includes such phenomena.
>
Yes, memes may be adopted, dissimenated and/or altered either intentionally or inadvertantly; we, due to self-conscious awareness, intention and (imperfectly) intention-controllable ideation, have the possibility for either.
>
>--
>"The distinction between mind and matter is in the mind, not in matter."
>Robin Faichney -- inside information -- http://www.ii01.org/
>
>===============================================================
>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
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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
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