Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 14:10:22 -0500
From: "Robert G. Grimes" <grimes@fcol.com>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Gs and memetic engineering
christopher_l._turner@hud.gov wrote:
> Snip
> I wonder how many of you folks have taken
> a serious look at general-semantics as a discipline? I see a lot of
> apparent confusion of _labels_ like 'nature', etc., with phenomena in
> our extra-neural environment. Our words, and the categories of our
> experience that we designate with them, are arbitrary conveniences
> contrived by our own nervous systems. We need to be keenly aware of
> this fact if we want to seriously consider systematically
> reconstructing our memes to more constructively _interact_ with their
> 'environment' (our 'minds'), and therein direct us to more
> constructively interact with ours (each other, or ecological
> environment, etc.).
Chris,
There is little doubt that my own attic needs cleaning, badly in fact....
And being "judgmental" appears to affect me much greater as I age.
Guilty, guilty, is my plea whenever I consider that I've not applied
sufficient training to my own "reflexive thinking" (another label for
thalamic arcs, non integrated cerebral thinking), responding just like
Pavlov's dogs to every label put before me, snapping (still like the dogs)
at every provocation or political baiting, etc.
Still, when one puts the label "natural" on just about anything now a days
it sells stuff! Can you think of a line of identifications associated
with natural, say like the following, i.e., "holistic, lite, Eastern
wisdom, herbal, wholesome, organic, vibratory, aura possessing,
non-addictive, ancient, etc., etc.," and then see where the connection
comes from?
Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda iappears to be the thing for
health with a lot of people now, especially if it involves herbs. Yet,
when one sees the news from those countries from whence the therapies
came, we see them picking up the bodies from the street each morning
because the people are dying from so many causes. Find where there are
diseases or contagion, plagues and pestilence, for which there are
vaccines or simple public health preventatives available and they will be
rampant in those countries. The "wisdom" of those therapies may be
thousands of years old, certainly hundreds, and yet a great many folks
would rather have ancient and "simple" remedies that have failed for an
incredibly as long time rather than to prevent or cure diseases for which
we have excellent therapies from modern medicine.
If we measured everything by how many people followed the methods or
methods that have existed for a very long time, we would be consulting our
astrologer every other minute and wearing all sorts of sympathetic magic
amulets, etc.
So, it seems to "be in vogue" these days to have a "buzz word discipline"
for which to appeal for all sorts of "wisdom." The older the better!
Thus, label identification, "popular or faddish" belief systems, etc.,
seem to offer much to a lot of people...
Are we "really" doing the same thing with Memetics or General Semantics,
Quantum Consciousness, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Thought Field
Therapy, etc., etc.....? Name your own poison here and let us be prepared
to defend our current disciplines!
Whatever, we should make the discipline of reexamining and requestioning
everything in every way our most valued therapeutic or philosophical
technique! Long live the Skeptic!
Cordially,
Bob
-- Bob Grimeshttp://members.aol.com/bob5266/ http://www.hotwired.com/members/profile/bobinjax/ http://www.phonefree.com/Scripts/cgiParse.exe?sID=28788 Jacksonville, Florida Bob5266@aol.com robert.grimes@mailexcite.com
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore....."
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