RE: virus: 'Meaning of Life' Memes

Gifford, Nate F (giffon@SDCPOS3B.DAYTONOH.ncr.com)
Thu, 4 Sep 1997 08:32:33 -0400


>D.H.Rosdeitcher wrote:

>> The memetic/evolutionary paradigm seems to imply that we invent our own
>>"meaning of life" since we create a memetic construct called 'meaning of
>>life'. Does having a view that we "make up" our own 'meaning of life'
lead
>>to a sense of meaninglessness?

>> --David R.

>Ken McE comments:

>The memetic/evolutionary paradigm of "clothing" seems to imply that we
>invent our own "fashions" since we create a memetic construct called
>'style'. Does having a view that we "make up" our own 'clothing' lead
>to a sense of nakedness?

>-or-

>So what if we made it up?

Nate comments:

Are you trying to reduce David's comment ad absurdum? If so, from my point
of view I think you missed. Your argument makes perfect sense to me ...
and seems to point to an interesting thread that I don't recall being
discussed on the group over the past 8 months ... fashion is a classic
meme-plex. The answer to your question "So what?" is that by its nature
<artificial = man made> any artifact is the product of the memeplex that
caused its creation. For me the point of memetics is to control the
baseline from which I create my artifacts.