Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 09:12:49 +0200
From: "Gatherer, D. (Derek)" <D.Gatherer@organon.nhe.akzonobel.nl>
Subject: RE: Inernal meme?
To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Aaron:
The most proximate amygdalar response is to an aspect of the environment
that cannot be called "the same" as whatever internal brain condition
(hypothesized to correspond to word learning and memory) that is evidenced
by the amygdalar response. In virtually any proposed chain of causation,
one can propose a chain of sub-causations. Remember that A + ~A --> 2A is
only proposed as an abstract *summary* of what may be a very complicated
transmission process. A mother might, for instance, use a word many times
before her baby learns it. In each one of those word usages, I presume that
one can eventually discover many sub-causations leading to the word being
spoken by mother. Then there is for each a subsequent chain of causation
involving sound wave transmission, inner ear vibrations, aural nerve
responses, etc.
Derek:
I don't follow the above at all. If anyone else understands it, please
explain...
Aaron:
Anyway, given that your concern is not presently with "...willing to be
persuaded
that such things [internal memes] exist if the evidence is great enough"
(your starting 9/24/99 post), but rather with demolition, I am now bowing
out of the discussion. The objective is not as neutral as it appeared, and
I am not interested in merely helping you select from among the various
demolition devices you might try to apply in some upcoming paper.
Derek:
My original post was a trap. I wanted to see if you'd leap in. You did.
My purpose was to demonstrate that internal memeticists have put very little
thought into the definition of the very thing they advocate, ie. the
internal meme. Your paragraph above demonstrates quite convincingly that
the best you can offer is some barely intelligible hand-waving about...
well, what is it about?
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