Message-Id: <v03110704b083be3be026@[208.155.1.200]>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.OSF.3.96.971103121617.23006A-100000@emerald.tufts.edu>
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 11:53:39 -0600
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
From: Andy Waschick <yeti@ncsi.net>
Subject: Re: Anyone here?
> Do monkeys have memes, even though their transmition may be hampered by
>primitive communication (just like autistics or "wild" children)?
>How about oyster-catchers (birds), who learn their method of opening
>oysters (stabbing or prying) from their parents, and perform poorly unless
>both parents are of the same type? I think memes, like culture and
>consciousness, evolved over time on continuous rather than discreet
>levels?
I would tend to say that memes are less of a phenomenon like culture or
conciousness, and more of a behind-the scenes mechanism. I would
hypothesize that the existence of memes, as opposed to one continuous
thought about the entire universe would be a rather on/off sort of
experience. One moment, bang, everything changes. Whether a meme in the
mind of a primate is more or less easy to share with others is really
secondary to the issue of whether the meme exists.
It would seem, from my limited understanding of memetics insofar, that
anything which is able to discern one object from another would be
operating memetically. I can program my web server to act memetically, so
I would think it hardly requires sentience.
Andy
________________________________________________________________
"Wheel of Fortune sucks."
Andy Waschick
yeti@yermom.com
http://www.yermom.com http://home.ncsi.net/yeti
________________________________________________________________
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