Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id FAA05859 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 29 Jan 2002 05:02:32 GMT Message-Id: <200201290458.g0T4w6r13979@terri.harvard.edu> Subject: Re: Meme bonding Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 23:58:14 -0500 x-sender: wsmith1@camail.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T. Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Francesca S. Alcorn -
>there are instances where it took
>people a long time to make a connection that seems perfectly obvious
>to us.
And yet there is much lost to us as well, crafts and constructions viewed
only in ruin, without hope of revival.
Connections are made when connections are made. Obviousness is always
around the corner.
>I think that switching your focus to the concept of
>iterations might even bring together concepts from even more diverse
>fields of thought.
I've been on Wilson's 'Consilience' side ever since I was a knee high to
an aardvark....
The more disciplines brought to the table, the better. We just have to
poke a few holes in a few inflated heads first so they'll all fit at the
same table.
>This structure
>prevents our memes from "running around inside our minds chaotically"
>and helps us sort out potentially useful meme combinations from ones
>which are completely useless.
Well, from the external stance, there ain't no memes running around
inside our heads, it's all a sort of managed chaos, which, sometimes,
culture and environment willing, will behave as a meme. What actually
makes these connections and prompts this behavior, is, well, where
creativity comes from. Memes are a special class of creativity- creations
that fit into a culture with enough connective recognition to be
replicated. But then, culture is connective recognition.
- Wade
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