Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 13:19:57 -0400
From: "Robert G. Grimes" <grimes@fcol.com>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Copying, imitation, transformation, replication
Aaron Lynch wrote:
> Snip
> When finding "information" in an uttered word, we are again (perhaps
> automatically) focusing on some qualities of the sound and not others. It
> is a "pattern" of "phonemes" that we count, and not, for instance, the
> sound's absolute volume, duration, ultrasound components, etc. The word
> "meme" spoken by two different people is only "the same" with respect to a
> system of abstractions. You need some kind of abstraction system, even an
> innate or deeply ingrained one, just to determine that there is not
> "transformation" (departure from sameness) of "information."
>
> With printed pages, we again use abstract criteria to determine "sameness"
> or "transformation" of "information." We do not, for instance, focus on the
> orientation of fibers in the paper. If the ink color differs, then the
> "information" might be the same with respect to a purely alphabetical
> abstraction system, but different with respect to an alphabet-color
> abstraction system.
>
> --Aaron Lynch
>
Very well done... I would have liked to phrase that in that manner... Somewhere,
Chomsky, Korzybski and Hayakawa and numerous others are smiling contentedly...
We do it so easily that it is extremely complicated to understand.....
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 Bobgrimes@zdnetmail.com
Man is not in control, but the man who knows he is not in control is more in control...
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore....."
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