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Why don't you ask what memetics is before you start to demolish it?
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· · · · · · A E C F O R U M - "M E M E S I S" · · · · ·
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In this symposium I saw a lot of comments on memesis, which I take to be
the same thing as memetics. I was glad to see Francis Heylighten get to
its defence.
It seems to me that memetics is under attack. For what reason, and what
kind of things are thought to be under the umbrella of memetics?
In my opinion, memeitcs is no science yet, nor is it one kind of
thought-discipline. All those who who suspect memetics from coherence
with the thoughts of wrong-social darwinism, etc, are simply fighting
windmills like Don quichotte, that are not there.
In the language of memetics, those that behave like Don, are like
memebots, blindly fighting an anemy at the smallest sign that he might be
there. Let me be clear, he is not there.
The sad thing of this behavior is that really intersting questions are
not adressed, and that the inspiring part of memetic thought are not
realized. So the next part will adress that.
I started 'thinking memetics; about two years ago. You can find my essay
on it at the index page [memetics, on a framework for cultural
evolution]. Memetics exited me, because it solved some problems for me,
and made formerly unclear things become logical.
Imagen popular words, speading like a virus through discussions, and over
the world by means of television. Imagen fashion spreading like a desease
over the world. The metaphor made me recognize things that were formerly
not possible to compare in the same kind of thought.
Imagen policy plans, 'weeded out' in the process of the creation of law,
imagen ways of thought, like science' being installed in your brain,
making it possible to understand things in ways you couldn't before.
Imagen the thought that all you think has been thought before, and has
been transmitted over centuries into your head.
One of the examples that exited me was that of the dichotomy of good and
bad, or good and evil. Some inquiery tought me that the meme that
makes the distinction between 'good and bad' has started 4000 years ago,
in a religion called Zoroastrianism in the Irak/Iran region. . A religion
with one god of good, and one of bad. The words good and bad nowadays
represent very deep emotions [bad/good], and if true, they have been
copied 4000 years almost unchanged. The thought that the words I attach
emotions to are that old makes me think twice about what thinking really
is, and what little new things we think of.
In my opinion memetics is a great way of thought, because it can put us
in our place. It shows that we are limited in making up new things, that
we are mainly copying the old things that were around all along. It made
me realize that if many parts of culture are copied so long, and so
un-changed, that our view of humans that can think and behave in new ways
is very limited.
Another thought that occured to me is that evolution by genes is just one
part of the story. Evolution of memes is the other part, and both can
influence each other. But the most important thing I started to see is
that memes select memes. People hang on to beliefs, ways of thought and
fadhions, and reject innovations. If you start to think about it, what do
you really know to be true beyond doubt? What do you take for granted.
It is the curiousity that springs from that thought that should be the
hallmark of scientists.
But maybe that conviction is just inhereted too?
I hope for a real exiting discussion, and hope that Don will keep away.
Hans-Cees Speel
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