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Re: [ontolog-forum] Dennett on the Darwinism of Memes

To: ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: John Bottoms <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:21:58 -0400
Message-id: <51658396.3050207@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
JohnS,    (01)

I agree with your observations. However...
You seem to agree that there is an entity or notion of type meme.    (02)

My question was where to put them in an ontology.
Are you recommending that they should be kept under drinking discussions?
Is that under entertainment, or should memes be kept under fantasy 
entities with Pegasus?    (03)

-John Bottoms    (04)

On 4/10/2013 11:00 AM, John F Sowa wrote:
> On 4/9/2013 6:28 PM, John Bottoms wrote:
>> His argument starts by asking if words are things. Then he argues that
>> if words are things then we should consider memes as things also. He
>> goes on to illustrate that memes follow the basic three principles of
>> Darwinism.
> There is nothing wrong with discussing such issues, but this topic
> raises more questions than it can answer:
>
>    1. The metaphor underlying the notion of 'meme' is based on an analogy
>       to genes.  But memes are transmitted by mechanisms that have no
>       similarity whatsoever to the mechanisms for transmitting genes.
>
>    2. The similarities between biological evolution and sociological
>       evolution are interesting, but based on fundamentally different
>       mechanisms.
>
>    3. As a result of points #1 and #2, the analogy that supports the
>       metaphor of memes is incomplete and unreliable.
>
>    4. The most notable characteristic of memes is their association
>       with some word or phrase.  Lexicography is a more appropriate
>       science for studying the evolution of memes than biology.
>
> Conclusion:  The similarity in the effects of genes and memes is a good
> topic for a bull session after a beer party in a college dorm.
>
> John
>
>   
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>    (05)


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