Re: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception

From: Wade T. Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Tue Jan 22 2002 - 03:17:18 GMT

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    Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 22:17:18 -0500
    Subject: Re: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception
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    From: "Wade T. Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
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    On Sunday, January 20, 2002, at 09:40 , Joe Dees wrote:

    > It is entirely inappropriate to equate ant pheromones with human
    > language; in fact, this may be the poster child for the term 'bad
    > analogy'.

    I wasn't enraptured with it. Incomplete, at best.

    I was more attaching culture to it, though.

    > And unless a meme
    > is out there, it is nowhere.
    >
    > Then there can be no new ideas, because they would have to be conceived
    > before thay could be transmitted.

    Well, maybe I'm being mystical, but I would not say there are no new
    ideas, just no new ideas _only in the head_. One has to express it. And
    in the expression, the new idea happens.

    Talk away to yourself as much as you like, and consider that a new idea,
    and indeed, I'm sure cities have been leveled in the minds of many, but
    there is no expression, and thus, no meme, until and only until
    transmission is attempted.

    The act itself is part of the whole, and the meme is not there without
    the act.

    - Wade

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