From: J. Daugherty (daugh@home.msen.com)
Date: Sat Feb 08 1997 - 22:15:49 MST
Ah! Very good! I did not originally grasp that you were using the term virus to mean social organism. Odd usage though, don't you think?
James Daugherty
----------
From: Richard Brodie[SMTP:RBrodie@brodietech.com]
Sent: Monday, February 03, 1997 5:50 PM
To: 'extropians@extropy.org'
Cc: 'lloyd@a-albionic.com'
Subject: RE: Memes and Conspiracy
Lloyd Miller wrote:
> I have been reading your book, Virus of the Mind, and was pleased
>to see your section "conspiracy theories". Now, my associate James
>Daugherty tells me you are on the Extropian list. Both James and I are
>quite impressed with the Extropians.
Me too!
>
> Perhaps I should finish reading your book before I say this, but,
>in my opinion, memeticians are failing to take seriously that memes are
>to
>social organisms or macrobes as genes are to biological organisms.
>Ultimately, memes survive because they impart characteristics to their
>macrobe that enhance survival of the macrobe just as genes impart
>survival
>characteristics to biological organisms. Memeticians seem to fall into
>the view that memes compete directly with each other....like a catchy
>virus. Yup, we probably have a big disagreement on this one, judging
>from
>the title of your book.
Nope, not at all. Viruses of the mind are not memes; they are social
organisms, complete with cultural artifacts, that USE memes to spread. I
think we are in serious agreement.
>
Richard Brodie RBrodie@brodietech.com +1.206.688.8600
CEO, Brodie Technology Group, Inc., Bellevue, WA, USA
http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie
Do you know what a "meme" is?
http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/meme.htm
>
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