Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA03256 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 9 Feb 2002 17:57:01 GMT From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Words and memes: criteria for acceptance of new belief or meme Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 12:25:57 -0500 Message-ID: <NEBBKOADILIOKGDJLPMAOENECKAA.debivort@umd5.umd.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 Importance: Normal In-Reply-To: <002e01c1b194$2f0c5ca0$5e2ffea9@oemcomputer> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hello, Philip,
Sorry for the poor phrasing.
By this, I mean that different people will require (consciously or
unconsciously) different levels of 'proof' or certainty before they will
accept a new belief or meme. For example, some will want total proof that
leaves no room for uncertainty. Others will accept a belief that contains
some ambiguity. (Colloquially, we refer to this phenomena by saying that
someone is 'hard to convince', or 'gullible', or 'stubborn'.)
Does this clarify the phrase?
Further, our criteria for acceptance of a meme can also vary with the source
of the meme. Some people accept memes that come from authority figures,
others will want to see demonstrations, others will want to hear an
explanation that 'makes sense' given their prior knowledge. People can even
change a belief they have because they come the conclusion that it is not
serving them and look for an alternative.
Regards,
Lawrence
> > Memes cannot destroy or bypass this judgment-making mechanism: to be
> > adopted they must meet its criteria for adoption. This helps explain why
> > some memes are taken up by some people and not by others: our
> hierarchies
> of
> > values differ person to person, as do the levels of certainty that we
> > require within our judgment-making processes.
> >
> > Does this model help?
>
> It seems that your view and mine are on a par here, although I do not
> understand
> what you mean by the slogan '...as do the levels of certainty that we
> require within our judgment-making processes.'
>
> Philip.
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