From: "Aaron Agassi" <agassi@erols.com>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: i-memes and m-memes
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 11:46:59 -0400
In-Reply-To: <2CDFE2C8F598D21197C800C04F911B2034934B@DELTA.newhouse.akzonobel.nl>
Again, you can get yourselves out of this trouble by adopting my position,
i.e. that all phenomena are memetic, but dormancy (reproductive failure) is
the norm. An unknown unseen dust particle is a bad replicator just as a
falling piano is a bad airplane. That leave Memetics free to it's purpose,
the study of the exception, i.e., memetic reproduction and mutation.
It is fruitless to ask what is a meme. The real questions are as to the whys
wherefores and ramifications of memetic reproduction and mutation. That is
the productive question of Memetics. If memes are replicators then study
replication.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
> Of Gatherer, D. (Derek)
> Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:39 AM
> To: 'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'
> Subject: RE: i-memes and m-memes
>
>
> Derek:
>
> How will you know an i-meme when you see one?
>
> James McComb:
>
> I am not a behaviorist. I am happy to create theoretical
> entities, provided
> they have explanatory power and are indirectly testable.
>
> Derek:
> But do they:
>
> a) have explanatory power? The biggest problem with the Dawkins B
> definition is that it doesn't because it equates hosting the meme with
> manisfestation of the behaviour that the meme is supposed to neurally
> encode. This is circular, and thus lacks explanatory power.
>
> b) permit even indirect testing? If you can suggest an indirect test, I'd
> be very interested.
>
> I know you said you didn't want to start this debate again, but if you can
> solve the above 2 objections, that would be a considerable contribution to
> the world of memetics.
>
> ===============================================================
> This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
> Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
> For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
> see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
>
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit