NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/alt/cyberspa/941

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-25 | 1.7 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!news.iastate.edu!iscsvax.uni.edu!rezabek1037
From: [e-mail] (Will be President for Food)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: MEMES (was: RE: Cybrspc Grvty, Def of Cybrspc)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 24 Jan 93 22:45:33 -0600
References: <[e-mail]>
Organization: University of Northern Iowa
Lines: 23

In article <>, "William C. Hulley" <[e-mail]> writes:
>
> rez, can you or someone else point me to something more formal on memes
> and memetics. i am having some trouble figuring out if this "theory" is a
> real set of tools that we can use to recon cspace or just a distraction.

well, there's always the place where the formalisation itself first cropped up,
in Richard Dawkin's "The Selfish Gene." there is only one chapter, however, on
the MEME in this text. i just found a text, however, which takes a much more
formalised approach. i haevn't started reading it yet; it's called "Genes vs.
Memes" by Walter A. Koch. it's published by STUDIENVERLAG BROCKMEYER . BOCHUM,
1986. it's apparently a single text within a project, "Bochum Publications in
Evolutionary Cultural Semiotics." there's also an essay i have lurking in my
archives which i could send to any interested parties. write to me with a
SUBJECT LINE saying: "MEME ESSAY" and it's off to you. i'll even send it to
you, william, off the bat (since you asked).

it's a very interesting topic to me because i first heard of the notion itself
SOMEWHERE on the Net. of course, i can't remember exactly where. it makes
sense, the Net is a very volatile (fast-paced) environment for spreading ideas.
the proof will be in the pudding, as they say...

.rez