Re: Definition, Please

From: Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Fri Nov 30 2001 - 02:22:48 GMT

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Subject: Re: Definition, Please
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 21:22:48 -0500
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From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
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    Hi Philip A.E. Jonkers -

    >Hence the utility of sex in evolution, but it is by no means essential.
    >Your extension to memetics is therefore unjustified. Moreover,
    >variation in memetics does occur of course.

    I only mentioned it as an analog, since cultural evolution appears so
    rapid, with the facilitator of rapid evolution in nature- sex. Never said
    it was essential, but, that some mechanism analogous to natural sex might
    have a place in memetics. I don't like calling it sex. Sexeme, maybe, or
    copumeme- I don't know. Memetic mechanisms have not been given nifty
    names, like meme is to gene, and memetics to genetics. We don't have a
    memifty word for sex, or replication, or variation, or selection, or
    retention.

    My only desire was to see an analog of the most useful variator, sex,
    within the memetic circle, since, if we are talking about evolutionary
    processes, sex, while not essential, is nevertheless crucial to
    successful variation within understandable time frames.

    Plus, putting a little sex into things is a nifty little meme all by
    itself....

    >The definition of the meme has
    >to be modified to incorporate mind-memes.

    This is of course a manifesto statement.

    - Wade

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