Message-Id: <v03102801b0867682ee8e@[194.109.13.153]>
In-Reply-To: <345E1B48.1B1D1ECC@fcol.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 21:26:08 +0200
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
From: Ton Maas <tonmaas@xs4all.nl>
Subject: Re: Anyone here?
Bob Grimes said:
>Certainly, even if the meme exists only in "seed" structure external to
>the organism's cognitive milieu, i.e., oral history, written history,
>art forms, etc., there is a "meme continuum" where memes are
>continuously in process of being stored or dormant, transmitted,
>received, and retransmitted.
I admit to singing an old tune, but this brings us back to an issue that
for me is still deeply problematic about memetics: the fact that
"information" as it is currently defined, actually represents a case of
misplaced concreteness or reification. Any reference to "information" as
being stored or "dormant" ignores the fact that it informs only as it is
being received/processed by somebody (or some thing with adequate
capabilities). Information is therefore processual, relational and
interactive and cannot be stored as such. Whatever is stored, is only the
"carcass" of the original information (freely adapted from Ben Whorf). Or
am I overlooking something?
Ton
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