Message-Id: <36247607.794BDF32@mmu.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1998 10:59:35 +0100
From: Bruce Edmonds <b.edmonds@mmu.ac.uk>
To: jom-emit-ann@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: New Paper: Imitation and the definition of a meme by Susan Blackmore
Imitation and the definition of a meme
by Susan Blackmore
Abstract
The dictionary definition, and Dawkins's (1976) original
conception of the meme, both include the idea that memes
are copied from one person to another by imitation. We
therefore need to be clear what is meant by imitation.
Imitation is distinguished from contagion, individual
learning and various kinds of non-imitative social learning
such as stimulus enhancement, local enhancement and goal
emulation. True imitation is extremely rare in animals other
than humans, except for birdsong and dolphin vocalisation,
suggesting that they can have few or no memes. I argue that
more complex human cognitive processes, such as language,
reading, scientific research and so on, all build in some way
on the ability to imitate, and therefore all these processes
are, or can be, memetic. When we are clear about the nature
of imitation, it is obvious what does and does not count as a
meme. I suggest that we stick to defining the meme as that
which is passed on by imitation.
The paper is accessible at:
http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/1998/vol2/blackmore_s.html