virus: Re: virus-digest V1 #101

Ken Pantheists (kenpan@axionet.com)
Mon, 02 Dec 1996 23:41:55 +0000


Eva wrote:
<snip>
In fact, Lakoff argues very persuasively, this is not only a
wrong understanding but a harmful one; meaning is not within the text at
all. The most that can be said to be encoded is instructions for
building a meaning,
<snip>
ideas within the mind are not
the equivalent of viruses, but more akin to the diseases engendered by
viruses, which may produce different symptoms in different hosts and
circumstances.
********************************************************

Bravo.

Eva-- you have no idea how wide my smile was when I read your post.

I not only agree whole heartedly with what you have observed, but will
add that this is the only *responsible* way we can look at memetics,
especially in light of work done by Toni Morrison, Trinh T Minh-ha,
Martha Gever and many more. In the past I have accused some church
members of virtually ignoring the entire globe of post modernism. You
have thankfully proven me wrong.

Alexander wrote:
One can ascribe the level of `memetic
symptom' directly upon meme-complexes, of which memes themselves are
the primary constituant, supported by belief, action and behaviour
(which, themselves, make up part of meme-complexes but are not memes,
themselves.) The problem with that analysis is that it leaves us
nowhere more `useful,' it merely changes the names on a few things but
is not, to use a term from a friend of mine, `revealatory'[2] in any
meaningful way, it gives us no more mental `hooks' to move the idea of
ideas around with
*********************************************************************

It is a subtle name change, but it imparts a necessary distinction. I
suspect if Eva had been posting in the days of the "Does God Exist?"
thread, it would not have reached the levels of sheer absurdity that it
did. (not that sheer absurdity is bad-- I found it entertaining at
times.)

Now for something completely different.

I am passing on this link.

Kaos Theatre Research in Australia has assembled an interactive journal.

LIMEN - THE INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCE JOURNAL
http://kali.murdoch.edu.au/limen/

Advisory Editors: Eugenio Barba, Richard Gough, Jaron Lanier, Peggy
Phelan, Jean-Marie Pradier.

*****CONTENTS*****

ETHNOSCENOLOGY: The Biology and Culture of Human Performing
Behavior

- by Jean-Marie Pradier

GESTALT AND PERFORMANCE

- by Phillip Brownell

PERFORMANCE AND FAITH

- by Christian Mendenhall

DAHMER'S AUDIENCES

- by Mark Pizzato

MOUTHPLACE

- Hypermedia Scholarship from Richard Povall and Jools Gilson-Ellis

POST-SYMBOLIC LANIER

- Mark Jones interviews VR pioneer and LIMEN Advisory Editor Jaron
Lanier

LISTENING TO IMAGES

- LIMEN Editor David George interviews David Williams

JUST PUT YOUR QUESTIONS IN THIS CARDBOARD BOX

- Richard Murphet critiques the latest ISTA

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