Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id UAA15645 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 11 Dec 2001 20:27:32 GMT Message-ID: <001101c18282$615e1680$3505bed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <5.0.2.1.0.20011210223528.00a32230@mail.clarityconnect.com> Subject: Re: Definition please Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 21:27:34 +0100 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Ray Recchia <rrecchia@mail.clarityconnect.com>
> Personally, the thing that I have always had trouble with is how a
> sophisticated organ like the brain has so much trouble adding two three
> digit numbers together. I wonder more at how consciousness can be so
> simple and slow when the brain appears to capable of so much more.
>
> Joe Dees argues that in fact consciousness does arise because of increased
> complexity. He has offered a hypothesis that humans are distinct from
> other animals because our brains have reached a certain level of
complexity
> which results in consciousness.
Hi Ray,
Some level of contradiction here !
If you have trouble with how it is possible that the brain got problems
adding
something simple as two or three digits, and Joe in fact says that
consciousness arose because of increased complexitiy, how can we hold on to
a hypothesis that shows that when the information threshold is low, memes
propagate better !?
If we take the " A memetic theory of Modernism" article at hand, as a guide,
it says that low information contents are not, in their complexity, that
diso-
ganised at all!
Complexity is than been seen on another level_ it is not that all buildings
look alike, have plain glass surfaces, express no creativity whatsoever and
do
not adapt to any human need_ that there is no complexity !
There is, but nomore as such.
IMO, you have knocked here at a certain boundery.
A conservative theme has always been that behind any thing, there has to
be something else_ everything must have its meaning even how small it gets!
A simple thing like adding two or three digits must hide something else far
more complicated, it has to be !
My point is, that it is maybe possible that the brain got troubles just
because
of the low information contents of such numbers.
Maybe it needs a low information threshold to get the info across, to get
the
info tranferred from one place to another, but needs more for its properly
working-conditions.
Regards,
Kenneth
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