Re: Memetic Manufacturing (WAS: Re: virus: Re: Rationality)

jonesr@gatwick.geco-prakla.slb.com
Wed, 12 Mar 97 11:02:47 GMT


Corey A Cook wrote:

> jonesr@gatwick.geco-prakla.slb.com wrote:
> > I'm begining to feel less and less like an independant entity with every
> > step of this thread :(
> >
> > The interesting thing is, that I invented the <rampage> meme. As far as I
> > can tell, it was not propogated to me in any way, it was just something that
> > my memesphere threw up, when an example was called for. Perhaps this is
> > free-will: The ability to tailor make your own memes.
> >
> > Thoughts?
>
> Well, I don't know if memetic manufacturing is a part of free will or
> not, but it is a valid phenomenon. How many time has a brand spanking
> new meme popped up in your head, and you had absolutly no idea of where
> it came from? Some of them might have just been nested in our
> memesphere's, and we lost the reference tag. But I find it hard to
> believe that all of them came from there.
>
> What do you think?

Memetic Manufacturing must occur. If it didn't, then science would never
get anywhere. We could never discover things, becuase we could only know what
we already know (if that makes sense), and nothing more. The only memetic
change in our memesphere's would be through external input, but when it
comes to fields such as Astrophysics, and Particle Physics, and loads of
other cutting edge sciences, advancement is not made without internal processes.

Can we lose a meme in our memesphere? I'm not sure, actually. I would guess
that we probably can, but I'd be more inclined to believe that all memes are,
in some way, connected to one meme-complex or anther, and as such, when it ceases
to be functional, it is not so much "lost", as archived into the drawer marked
"Might come in useful one day".

WRT Free-Will, it is important to distinguish between "will" and "power".
Power is the fulfilling of an individual's will, whilst I'm currently
positing that free-will exists only in the mind. As soon as it goes
external, it can be considered "individual liberty" or "freedom of action"
or whatever you like.

Drakir