Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id BAA15035 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 5 Feb 2002 01:02:10 GMT Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020204184914.02c6cec0@pop.cogeco.ca> X-Sender: hkhenson@pop.cogeco.ca (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 19:58:35 -0500 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca> Subject: Re: Words and memes In-Reply-To: <F89nqTe9GLkAKvmLphO00002156@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 09:17 PM 04/02/02 +0000, you wrote:
>>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?.
One you write down might remain a potential meme after you died.
I suppose you could call the act of writing down a meme an act of
replicating. It does not do anything interesting though until the meme is
picked up by some brain and affecting behavior in some way. Like genes or
computer viruses memes have to be in the right place to have effects on the
world.
>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?
Yes though most classified information has been read by someone so to the
extent there are memes in it they tend to be real an not potential.
Keith Henson
>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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>
>
>===============================================================
>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
>Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
>For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
>see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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