RE: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception

From: Francesca S. Alcorn (unicorn@greenepa.net)
Date: Tue Jan 15 2002 - 08:50:15 GMT

  • Next message: Keith Henson: "Re: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception"

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    Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 03:50:15 -0500
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    From: "Francesca S. Alcorn" <unicorn@greenepa.net>
    Subject: RE: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception
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    >Not very well. I am not sure just exactly what a '"value' would
    >represent to the evolved psychological mechanisms built by genes in
    >an attempt to get the genes into the next generation.

    Value would be the weight or importance attached to a meme. In
    physiological terms it might be reflected in the number, strength and
    connectivity of neural pathways which underlie it. In the event that
    two opposing memes (neural representations) are activated, the
    strongest one would "win". Genes contribute the plasticity, and the
    process by which we "give weight" to various memes. Pleasure centers
    in the brain and all that. These rules of thumb for meme selection
    which our genes have evolved are highly imperfect on the individual
    level, but they seem to have worked for us as a species. At least up
    until now.

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