Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA09443 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 11 Jan 2002 04:51:56 GMT To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Message-Id: <AA-4A97FECDAD76D84510E99FD97A6053F4-ZZ@maillink1.prodigy.net> Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 23:47:56 -0500 From: "Philip Jonkers" <PHILIPJONKERS@prodigy.net> Subject: Re: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
--- Original Message ---
From: "Pieter Bouwer" <pbouwer@intekom.co.za>
To: "Memetics
Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject:
Knowledge, Memes
and Sensory Perception
>I am new to this list and also, except for a few
magazine
>articles over the last couple of years, a novice in
the field of
>memetics. My academic background, although somewhat
antiquated,
>covers subjects like Linguistics, Psychology and
Education.
>
>It is possible that you have covered the following
questions in
>the past, in which case I shall appreciate it if you
could give
>me some guidance as to where I can delve in the
archives:
>
>1. Does all knowledge consist of memes or
memeplexes?
>2. Are all memes received/perceived through sensory
>perception?
>3. Is it also possible to acquire memes through
experience,
>where the knowledge is not the direct result of recent
>communication?
>
>Any explanation, reference to websites or other media
will be
>sincerely appreciated.
>
>Pieter Bouwer
Hi Pieter & welcome, (your name sounds awfully Dutch,
well it's no
so strange when you're from South Africa)
Here's a link that triggered my enthusiasm for
memetics.
http://www.memes.org.uk/extracts/SBOct1998Ch1.html
It's the first chapter of The Meme Machine by Susan
Blackmore, one
of the chiefs of memetics. You may find the entire
book useful and
fascinating, as did I.
There is still controversy going on on whether on the
definition
of a meme. As far as I know there are mainly two ends
of the
spectrum. On the one end you have those who argue that
the def.
should be restricted to including only the behavior
and cultural
artifacts (planes, trains & automobiles etc.) and not
its mental
sources or instigators (ideas, schemes, thoughts
etc...). On the
other, those who believe that the mental component
should also be
included.
Most generally, a meme is anything cultural that is
transmittable
from one member of the culture to another. This does
not require a
recipient and transmitter per se. Memes can lie
dormant in the
brain of some host until the moment arises to transmit
it to a
potential recipient. New memes are created by
interaction in
meme-processing facilities MPF (the brain in humans)
of already
existing memes in a set of MPF of hosts. The set may
consist of
only a single member (eureka moments, moments of
creativity etc.),
or several members such as team-play in science or at
`meetings'.
So to answer your questions:
1. All knowledge that can be captured in language (or
in general,
some protocol of communication) is memetic since it
then can be
transmitted to other humans. I don't know if
transmittable
knowledge is synonymous to plain `knowledge' though,
it depends on
how you define knowledge.
2. In humans: yes. Perception is the receptor of
memes. But in
general, perception is not relevant per se. In distant
AI,
transmission of memes will happen electronically.
3. Yes. We all have our 'personal' moments of
originality and
creativity. If we didn't, new memes would not surface
and cultural
evolution would not be possible.
Philip.
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