Message-Id: <199706201051.GAA26852@brickbat9.mindspring.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 06:54:51 -0500
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
From: bbenzon@mindspring.com (Bill Benzon)
Subject: Re: is memetics science/ was lynch
HansCees Speel:
>
>For the other question, I think we can make memetics a scholary
>science. Fopr a great deal this is up to us and others.
>I do think that we have a different beginning than Darwin, beinbg
>analogical reasoning with an already settled biological analogical
>theory thathas proven its worth, and that has been discussed for a
>long time. This gives a certain assurance the theory is usefull, well
>defined and so on.
>
>this does not mean we are ready yet, but it does mean we have a firm
>start to go from.
>
Well, it means you have a sound biological model to think about. What is
not so clear is how to map that model on to the phenomena of culture. Much
memetic analysis talks about "the X meme" as though substituting any
cultural phenomenon for "X" in that phrase makes it a proper object for
rigorous thinking. But I for one haven't the foggiest idea about what most
of those things are and much of memetics seems to depend on the internal
properties of those Xs, for it is those properties which allow them to work
their way into brains and then somehow induce one brain to engage in
communication with another brain.
William L. Benzon 201.217.1010
708 Jersey Ave. Apt. 2A bbenzon@mindspring.com
Jersey City, NJ 07302 USA http://www.newsavanna.com/wlb/
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