Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA03672 (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 19:44:08 GMT Message-ID: <000901c1b1a2$4d871040$73aabed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <kennethvanoost@myrealbox.com> References: <F759aBwDCCTuGEJ9RSS00009ab2@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Apoptosis Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 20:44:24 +0100 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Drew <srdrew_1@hotmail.com>
Hi Steve, thanks for posting this,
If i understand you correctly, you seem to be attributing a want to a meme.
how could a meme commit suicide. It is not a *thing* in the sense of that a
person is ie something that the meme influences or that we choose to accept.
You can have a meme for commitng suicide, but a meme that commited suicide
would be a lousy replicator IMO. Suicide requires a decision, and memes
don't decide, they replicate or fail.
<< Not so mush a want, more a fundamental !
Like we as human beings seek for knowledge and wisdom, memes would
seek ways to propagate. Committing suicide would be one them.
They would be lousy replicators, but not in the understanding that other
memes would profit by or take advantage of the free space/ niche.
It would be a lousy replicator indeed, but not in the whole of a meme-
plex, where it should strenghten or weaken the complex in order to let
itself propagate.
And as to the decision- making ability, Benjamin Libet expresses that
the mind could made the decision for ' you '!
If the intention to do something only is due after that the brain already
decided to go ahead with whatever, if thus the brain takes the decision
before ' you ' ever will, than is our behavior not lead by the free will,
but by the unconscious handling of the brain.
In that way the brain creates an illusion of a conscious self that is master
over its deeds, where in the meanwhile the real control- power lies by
the unconsciousness.
Of course, this can only be, if we accept that memes equals thoughts.
A suicidal meme, could thus be part of the in the above expressed
notion. If thus the brain can decide to extinguich memes/ thoughts, why
NOT order them to kill themselves !?
Moreover, according to John Cairns cells may possess mechanisms
within for choosing which mutation will occur_ why not saying, that
braincells do possess those same mechanisms !?
My point is, if the brain is capable of to make decisions without any
interaction of consciousness, to which extend can it do more !?
We trust every day upon conscient made decisions to get around, but
who hold the leach, ' you ' or your brain !?
Such an obscur process has been called by Dennett the ' itself ' of Self.
Consciousness and the unconscient mind are NOT two seperate, in
competetion being enteties, but parts of a greater whole.
The ' you ' exist out of braintissue, but than well braintissue which is
' subjectived ' by the unique process of nature_ the same notion I
attribute to memes.
Maybe in a way, Parkinson- disease and Altzheimer may be due to the
failure of memes !
Certain braincells die slowly but relentless. What if those cells are
' ordered ' ( memetically ) to kill themselves !?
And why not saying that the effectormechanisms are already present
in the thought/ memes itself_ primed memetical apoptosis !?
Highly speculative, I know !
But we need this in order to get around the genetic analogies....
Many regards,
Kenneth
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