Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id JAA13810 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 12 Feb 2002 09:22:48 GMT Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 01:17:09 -0800 Message-Id: <200202120917.g1C9H9ww030157@mail25.bigmailbox.com> X-Authentication-Warning: mail25.bigmailbox.com: www set sender to joedees@addall.com using -f Content-Type: text/plain Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary X-Mailer: MIME-tools 4.104 (Entity 4.116) X-Originating-Ip: [65.80.162.88] 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: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 09:07:42 -0800
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>
>
>
>> >> 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.
>> >
>> >Ted
>> >
>> As a journeyman boat-builder I would comment that, regardless of the
>> chemists report, all experienced woodworkers would, after examining
>> the hammer, not only report that the hammer was a hammer but what
>> kind, its quality, its specific uses, and a raft of other information.
>> Even in Platonic parallels, if I find an ancient rusted hammer its
>> 'hammerness' will call to the perfect hammer that I have in my mind.
>> Jeremy
>
>Right. That's my point. It's a hammer only in the mind of the individuals
>for whom it corresponds to the abstract idea of "hammer." You don't have to
>be an experienced woodworker to know when an object fits this category.
>
A rock can become a hammer for me, when I define it as one and use it as such.
>
>Ted
>
>
>
>===============================================================
>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
>Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
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>see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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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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