Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id IAA23996 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 7 Feb 2002 08:18:04 GMT Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 00:12:23 -0800 Message-Id: <200202070812.g178CNU01597@mail14.bigmailbox.com> Content-Type: text/plain Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary X-Mailer: MIME-tools 4.104 (Entity 4.116) X-Originating-Ip: [65.80.161.203] From: "Joe Dees" <joedees@addall.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Words and memes Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk('binary' encoding is not supported, stored as-is)
> "Dace" <edace@earthlink.net> <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Re: Words and memesDate: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 16:33:31 -0800
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>
>> >If "meme" is taken to be equivalent to "idea," then it becomes culturally
>> >universalized and ceases to have meaning. On the other hand, if
>> >"meme" is equated with "learned behavior," then it becomes biologically
>> >universalized and also ceases to have meaning. Any term that can be
>> >collapsed into another term is just an abstraction. It has no existence
>> >outside of the word we've made up for it.
>> >
>> >Ted
>> >
>> >
>> Hi Ted
>> Good points. What if 'meme' is simply a word signifying a strand of
>> cultural information which resides in cultural artefacts (even a hammer)
>> which enables the replication of the culture?
>> Jeremy
>
>We've been dealing with this on the Abstractism thread. My view is that
>information is not a property of matter. We can have a chemist examine a
>hammer and report back on all its properties. The property of "hammerness"
>will not be among them. Neither its shape nor its potential uses make it a
>hammer but only our interpretation of it when see it or use it. Cultural
>artifacts can help spread memes, but the memes themselves are in our minds.
>
One has to be aware of the proper use of a hammer to properly use it, but one has only to be able to read a language to grasp any number of messages encoded in it, and they are encoded by intentionally configuring the matter (say, ink on paper) used.
>
>Ted
>
>
>
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>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
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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
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