From: "Aaron Agassi" <agassi@erols.com>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Encoding and Decoding
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1999 05:10:07 -0400
In-Reply-To: <19990901080717.92002.qmail@hotmail.com>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
> Of James McComb
> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 1999 4:06 AM
> To: Memetics Discussion List
> Subject: Encoding and Decoding
>
>
> ____________Encoding and Decoding
>
> I think it's time for a recapitulation and a change of focus.
>
> We have become used to looking at memes as being replicating 'information'
> or 'instructions' that can have an i-form and an m-form. The memes spend
> half their life-cycle encoded in brains (the i-form), and the
> other half in
> behaviors and artifacts (the m-form). The i-form of a meme cannot
> replicate
> directly (this would be mental telepathy). So the memetic instructions are
> encoded into m-form, which can be transmitted, and then decoded back into
> i-form.
>
> The concept of 'replicating instructions' is fairly clear, with
> one caveat.
> The instructions are not actually 'in' brains or artifacts, but are the
> results of the information-bearing structure being 'interpreted' by an
> encoding/decoding system. And not only memes, but also their associated
> encoding/decoding systems evolve over time.
>
> That said, I'm still rather vague about what encoding and
> decoding actually
> are in memetics. So may I suggest that we now turn our attention our
> analytical scalpels to these mysterious processes.
Analytical, that is to say: conjectural, perception, interpretation from
input, not to mention reflection, in short, i-encoding, predate
communication. Observation of behavior becomes i-encoding from another's
behavior. This is the beginning of involuntary communication, or behavioral
memetic transmission. Next comes deliberate communication. Thus Memetics
belongs to evolutionary Empiricism, including both Phenomenology and
Ontology. It is a question of Methodology as practiced, regardless of
Epistemology. And behavior as manifest, regardless of elucidity.
>
> To get the ball rolling, I'll start with the first question:
>
> Is it a logical necessity that encoding and decoding take place in any
> memetic replication?
Yes. Because perception is conjectural encoding to begin with. And so is
expression, deliberate or involuntary.
>
> ===============================================================
> 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