From: Valuemetaphysics@aol.com
Date: Wed Aug 04 2004 - 01:34:03 BST
Hi Ian,
I've thought about this a great deal, and had a similar experience as that
when encountering Plato: If you really get to grips with what memes are saying,
'I' is little more than a narrative.
This insight can be very real and very scary, and ultimately revealing;
Quality is something we can use to orient narrative. It is, as you point out, a Zen
(Buddhist) thread.
Platt's narrative does not evince recognition of this.
All the best,
Mark
Memes areas "real" as the MoQ.
Let's not have an SOM debate about that.
Patterns of thinking if you like, usually ultimately expressable in
language, certainly easily communicable.
Key thing about a meme is how easy it catches on with the receiver /
beholder,
ie how easily it fits, reinforces or is reinforced by existing patterns.
Least significant thing is whether it is true / right / good whatever.
As a believer in Darwinian evolution I find it easy to accept Dawkins
metaphor of memes as the cultural analogy to the bioogical genes.
Reproducible and mutatable, with "success" depending on the interacting
environment.
No brainer.
Interestingly, Susan Blackmore who popularised memes, with here book Meme
Machine,
has a strong "zen" thread in her life too. Try "Waking from the Meme Dream"
here ..
http://terebess.hu/english/meme.html
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