Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA07787 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 10 Jan 2002 15:19:19 GMT X-Originating-IP: [137.110.248.206] From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 07:14:49 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <LAW2-F98SnRMWuLn5U90000b443@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 10 Jan 2002 15:14:49.0756 (UTC) FILETIME=[8BF455C0:01C199E9] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>Pieter again:
>
>I did not formulate question 3 properly. I am referring to a
>hypothetical case where somebody allegedly receives knowledge
>'intuitively'. The behaviour resulting from that experience
>looks like a meme, although there is no other organism involved
>in the transmission process. The following could serve as an
>example: Say for instance somebody is totally in the dark as to
>what he/she is to do with regard to the future. He/she goes to
>bed and on awakening the next morning says that he/she
>'intuitively' received an 'answer' during the night. This
>person then acts according to the 'message'. What he/she does
>is in all respects concurrent with something that looks like a
>meme, although there was no organism present in the transmission
>of the meme. One normally observe this kind of behaviour in
>people heavily influenced by religion and/or cult activities.
>It was not a dream, because in a dream there would have been a
>virtual organism communicating with the recipient. The client
>will normally say he/she intuitively 'knew' that it was the
>right thing to do.
>
>Can this be regarded as a meme? Please be patient with me. I
>am new in this field of study.
>
>Pieter Bouwer
>
In my own opinion, all memes start out as solutions to problems, conscious
or unconscious. Memes can be borrowed, invented and discarded by the people
who use them. Don't worry about being new to the field. It's not as old as
my youngest child. It started with a book by Richard Dawkins called The
Selfish Gene. That's a good place to start. I'm not aware of any
institution that is giving a degree in memetics yet. We're all stumbling
around in the dark at this point.
Grant
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