Re: Words and memes

From: Steve Drew (srdrew_1@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Feb 04 2002 - 21:17:37 GMT

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From: "Steve Drew" <srdrew_1@hotmail.com>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Words and memes
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 21:17:37 +0000
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    >Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2002 17:23:34 -0500
    From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca>
    Subject: Re: Words and memes

    I have often written that an idea fails to be a meme (at best it is a
    potential meme) when someone has an idea and never communicates the
    idea.  By this line of thinking an idea written on paper is still not a
    meme until someone (other than the writer) read it.  Shades of the
    spooky
    observer effects in quantum mechanics!

    Of course, none of this negates the essence of any particular meme being
    pure information.

    Keith Henson<

    I think this is because we rely too much on the analogy of genes. Obviously,
    i have my genes, and should i have children these (some at any rate) will be
    passed on. If i write an idea down and no one reads it, it is not passed on.
    I don’t see a problem with terming something a potential meme, though is
    there a difference betwen an idea i do not communicate, and on that i write
    down and file?. The one that i file may become available in the future.
    Indeed, in most western countries, reports, files etc are held by the
    goverment as classified information, and released slowly. Are these
    potential?

    I wonder how the Pope feels about potential memes as opposed to *potentail
    life*? :- )

    thanks for the quote. It is an enjoyable article.

    Steve

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