Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19980504095359.007aa580@pop.netaddress.com>
Date: Mon, 04 May 1998 09:53:59 +0200
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
From: Josip Pajk <j.p.pajk@usa.net>
Subject: Re: Memes are Interactors
In-Reply-To: <00fe01bd73b6$adabc700$3770cacc@lil--elvis>
At 12:42 29.04.98 -0700, Tim wrote:
>In what way does packaging effect content (and vise versa)? I suspect that
>the relationship is in some ways dynamic and interrelated--packaging
>informing content and content, packaging to a degree. Does one shape the
>other?
>
>-Tim Rhodes
Did you ever be in a situation when someone tried to tell a yoke and nobody
laughs except him? It was not the content that was of poor quality but the
performance (package). That was a communication problem. The message
envelope (package) has NO influence on the message's semantic content
(information), it affects only the transmission. The envelope (package,
protocol, encryption) is only a mean to assure that the target receiver
will receive the content undamaged. So, even language can be classified
under "package". You pack your ideas (memes) in words and phrases. If your
packing material and capabilities are poor or not compatible to the
receiving host than there is a big chance that your ideas will not be
understood.
When you "buy" a product (or receive a letter) all you see is the package
(envelope). But you buy a product for its content not for its package that
will be disposed after opening. If, when the package is open you see that
the content "stinks" you probably will never buy another product in such a
package, even if in the meantime its quality have been improved. After
receiving one or two letters like the E-mails from "Bill Gates" presented
by Aaron and the "instant fortune" one received by Hans-Cees, no one will
seriously accept the content of any letter received in such a "junk
package" (from these addresses).
In an interview by Wojciech Orlinski of "Wiadomosci Kulturalne" published
on the Web:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2594/lem.html
Stanislaw Lem, among other very interesting things (from a memetic point of
view) says:
""Today economics decide even on judgment of art - you can see sometimes on
a book such banner as "over million of copies sold". What kind of
advertisement is that? Do I have to run to a bookstore only because million
of people bought something? I just don't like it.""
Would you buy a SF novel and expect to find in it any useful thought that
could help you to answer some questions you have not answered yet? Probably
not. As someone probably would not even try to listen some uncredentialed
people speaking about such "serious" thing as memetics. How could some,
maybe illiterate, person speak about such complex things?
most unusual places. I'm not promoting false scientology or scientism. I
strongly believe that all new methods and ideas MUST endure an appropriate
rigid scientific verification. But I also strongly believe that if we don't
give a look outside of our rigid scientific environment to see what other
(uncredentialed but maybe competent) people think about the same issues
there are good chances we will be intricate in an endless circle of our own
words.
Josip
http://members.tripod.com/~THREENITY/index.html
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