>In message <99569f61.3542ab04@aol.com>, RayHiggins <RayHiggins@aol.com>
>writes
>>Is everything posted on this news group a meme or meme wana-be's or request
>>for other meme's?
>Yes. (Except maybe you should substitute "and" for "or".)
Then what are the limits of memes. For instance, are memes limited to wisdom
or knowledge or can data also be a meme. I assume that is meaning in the words
and not the words them selves that make up the memes; although the word (or
what ever media its in) can significantly impact its virulence. I assume that
memes can be transmitted over any media that imparts some associated thought.
Then is all thought memes (at least in one persons head).
Also, are all meme "viruses" or are only bad memes "viruses"? I assume all
memes breed in a viral fashion. Are all memes parasitic and if not what
definition are you using to distinguish it from non-parasitic memes?
I ask this because for about 2/3 years now I've been reading this mailing list
(off and on); trying to reconcile theories I came with those of the group (and
hopefully memetic theory in general) and I am confused. Not so much in the
words specifically (they're quite interesting and entertaining) but in the way
you use the basic concepts. You talk a lot about a variety of memes but just
about all of it is only in black and white terms. It is either the evil
government, evil rich, evil religions, evil SPAMers or their evil memes; or
its the glorious Internet, glorious science, glorious memetics (and all
relate disciplines) and Our glorious memes. IMHO, it really has nothing to do
with science or even a science wanna-be like memetics. It really looks like
memetics as used by this group is just another rationalization tool for
developing a Philosophy (be aware I define Philosophy as the "Art of Making an
External Justification of Internal Memes into a More Virulent Form", not
pretty but that's the way I see philosophy). I don't know maybe its just me,
blinded by my memes. Any help clarifying what memes are and what this group is
trying to do with them would be greatly appreciated.
Ray Higgins "Believing is Seeing"
rayhiggins@aol.com