virus: Re: Complexity and TT

Ken Pantheists (kenpan@axionet.com)
Wed, 27 Nov 1996 23:25:27 +0000


David McF wrote

> 1. Memes aren't encoded in writing.
> 2. Memes aren't encoded in a recording of a spoken narrative of writing.
> 3. Memes aren't encoded in a live spoken narrative of writing.
> 4. Memes aren't encoded in speech.
> 5. Memes cannot be transmitted by speech.
> 6. Memes cannot be transmitted.

You and Alexander are arguing such a fine point.

It's a matter of splitting hairs in my book.

I think that yes, memes appear to be transmitted through media. But the
transmitter actually causes a new meme to be spawned in the mind of the
reader- this new meme is informed by the reader's experience and
cultural biases. Therefore it is entirely plausible that Shakespeare'
sonnet 154 can be read and the reader not even *suspect* that it's about
asking for a blow job. (which it is)

This happens with speech too.
eg." Well, I *thought* you were asking me to do x."

-- 
Regards
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  Ken Pantheists                    
http://www.lucifer.com/~kenpan           
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