> Reed asked a very important question if we were going anywhere in
> particular. There is no clear agenda, I think. Should there be?
I have a question along those lines which I hope we can discuss a little
before the BIG QUESTIONS sneak back in and thwart us. It is this:
If we wanted to make memetics into a science [1], one that could prove
itself through the predictive powers of its theories, which is a better
approach: studying the effects of memes on the individual or on large
groups.
I had thought that understanding the effects on individuals would lead to
understanding larger groups, but now I wonder. As someone said (Robin
maybe?), "Each person leaving a theater is a free agent, but the movements
of the crowd are statisticly predictable." So now I don't know. Which
approach do you think would yield the greatest results?
-Prof. Tim
[1] an assumption for the sake of argument.