Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA02626 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 28 Jan 2002 04:37:32 GMT Message-Id: <4.2.0.58.20020128122336.01c27af0@mail.iinet.net.au> X-Sender: tramont@mail.iinet.net.au X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.2.0.58 Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 12:32:57 +0800 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Stephen Springette <tramont@iinet.net.au> Subject: Re: Meme bonding In-Reply-To: <00bf01c1a7af$bda1d6a0$5e2ffea9@oemcomputer> References: <5.1.0.14.0.20020125225906.02c5bc50@pop.cogeco.ca> <008201c1a6bc$1c7cfbe0$5e2ffea9@oemcomputer> <p04320400b8793379e07b@[192.168.2.3]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Actually, this "bonding" between memes is better explained from a semiotic
perspective. To this end, the "Law of association of habits", as outlined
by Charles Sanders Peirce, is instructive. That is, associative learning is
regarded as a most fundamental dynamic of any consciousness, and it is
associative learning that provides the "bonding" between signs (memes).
This is part of the reason that I have departed away from memetics, towards
semiotics.
Imitation is regarded by many memeticists as the basis for human culture.
But by incorporating associative learning as the fundamental principle, it
becomes clear that imitative learning is a subset of associative learning.
That is, imitation is one of the mechanisms by which memes are selected and
associated together.
At 06:56 27-01-02 -0900, Philip wrote:
>Frankie:
> > Has anyone written about "meme" bonding? That is: what causes memes
> > to join together to form larger memeplexes? Why don't we just have
> > billions of separate memes floating around in our brains?
>
>Memes clutter together as most memes have parental memes. Coherence of
>memes like social being often enhances survival rate compared to the loner
>meme.
>Thus generations of related memes tend to cling together. Examples:
>computers and their parts, other inventions such as the airplane with
>jet-engine, flight-computers, your own manifestation of your self is a huge
>collection of related memes, religious memes taint your whole worldview thus
>determining which
>further memes should be adopted which always have to be compatible with
>already
>adopted religious memes, same goes for scientifically oriented minds. The
>observation that memes are related to other memes, e.g. by composition, is
>incorporated in my recursive definition of the meme. The use of memes acting
>together is analogous to that of genes: take one gene and you have nothing
>except
>for perhaps the production of one type of protein, take 33,000 genes and you
>may
>build a human being.
>
>Philip.
______________________________________________
Newton's Laws of Emotion:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~tramont/biosem.html
There can be no complexity without simplicity.
Applied simplicity:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~tramont/applied.html
Stephen Springette
______________________________________________
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