Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 06:18:36 -0400
From: Paul Marsden <PMarsden@compuserve.com>
Subject: RE: What does the replicating?
To: "INTERNET:memetics@mmu.ac.uk" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Message text written by INTERNET:memetics@mmu.ac.uk
William L. Benzon wrote in reply to Brodie:
>>Remember, the key thing about memetics is the thesis that the
>>future will be full of culture with "good memes" -- memes that replicat=
e
>>successfully.
>Without an explicit account of "goodness" this is circular.
Only if you take a normative view of good that is is, I think Richard's
point takes is an (effective) anti-absolutist swipe at morality, and
demonstates that successful memes are those that have display *relative*=
superior replication, I think he he is pretty "explicit" about this. If
your point is that all relativistic positions have a certain circularity
becuse they depend on themselves then I would agree with you, but would
contend that is something our epistemology just has to live with.
Probably the use of "good" memes invites confusion, why not talk of
effective memes?
Paul Marsden
===============================================================
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