Debate : 4511


Off-Topic / Debate / 4511	4510 \| 4512

Subject:	Re: Does God have a monopoly on gods?
Newsgroups:	lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date:	Sat, 4 Mar 2000 07:44:33 GMT
Viewed:	1149 times

I loathe the term "meme." It seems to focus on form to the exclusion of substance, as if ideas were magical incantations that just take over and needn't be analyzed very deeply. I think the meme theory appeals to a void in the mind of bankrupt intellectuals with no genuine philosophical theories. For instance, Ben Bova editorialized on it last month in Analog magazine (for the record I don't read Wired), suggesting that some nice memes introduced at the right time could have prevented Columbine. And that a few words, out of context, could save our country. (UGH.) But then the point of a "meme" is that it primarily refers to junk that happens to sweep through a chattering population. I read Richard Dawkins' _The Selfish Gene_ a long long time ago, but that is where the term originates (Bova conveniently documents this for me.) I remember seeing it picked up in Eric Drexler too. -Erik Support your local library. Don't use the Internet. In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Todd Lehman writes: > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Kya Morden writes: > > And I'm currently interested in what in the world the book was that > > talked about memes that my anthropology professor mentioned cause now > > you people have me curious and want to read that. > > There's a good book called _Virus_of_the_Mind_ -- probably available at Amazon > or Fatbrain or B&N. (And hey, if B&N doesn't have it, nobody does! ;-) > > --Todd

Message has 3 Replies:

		memes (Was: Re: Does God have a monopoly on gods?)
(...) Consider the following bits of everyday information: * Tanoy message in the subway stating that all trains westbound are delayed * The release date for a software package is May 2000 * Street Preacher (Manic or not) telling you that your soul (...) (25 years ago, 4-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

		Library vs Internet
From Erik Olsen's sig: (...) Do both. I go through 6-10 library books a week as well as heavy net use. But I don't watch TV. Kevin --- Personal Lego Web page: (URL) auctions:(URL) to my Lego auction mailing list: (URL) (25 years ago, 4-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

		Is memetics a meme? (was: Re: Does God have a monopoly on gods?)
(...) Question: If Memetics itself is a meme, is it an intellectual bank-robber meme, bankrupting non-bankrupt intellectuals in its path, or does it propagate only in the minds of those who are already intellectually bankrupt? --Todd (25 years ago, 5-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:

		Re: Does God have a monopoly on gods?
(...) There's a good book called _Virus_of_the_Mind_ -- probably available at Amazon or Fatbrain or B&N. (And hey, if B&N doesn't have it, nobody does! ;-) --Todd (25 years ago, 4-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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