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Subject: CFP Memetics symposium
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CALL FOR PAPERS
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* SYMPOSIUM on MEMETICS - *
* EVOLUTIONARY MODELS OFINFORMATION TRANSMISSION *
*********************************************************
as part of the
15th International Congress on Cybernetics
NAMUR (Belgium), August 24-28, 1998
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For up-to-date, hyperlinked information, check the symposium web page:
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MEMETSY.html
ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM
The "Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information
Transmission"
(JOM-EMIT), in collaboration with the Principia Cybernetica Project, is
organizing a first symposium on memetics. The aim of the journal is to
integrate the different approaches inspired by memetics, and thus try to
establish memetics as a recognized scientific field. The symposium
similarly wishes to bring together all researchers working on memetics,
in
order to allow them to meet face to face, thus stimulating discussions
and
possible collaborations. The symposium is chaired by two members of the
Journal's editorial board, Francis Heylighen and Mario Vaneechoutte. The
emphasis will be on discussion, rather than on formal presentation.
SYMPOSIUM THEME
In 1976, Dawkins invented the word 'meme,' in analogy with the word
'gene',
defining it as 'a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of
imitation'.
Thus, he defined the field of memetics, which studies the development
and
spread of culture and information, on the basis of the Darwinian
principles
of variation, reproduction and natural selection. Further information on
memetics is available through the journal's web server:
http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/
The initial description of 'meme' by Dawkins is rather vague, which
is a possible reason for current diverging views on what a meme
really is, and how the memetic model can be used. We are confronted
with an avalanche of books, essays, and publications scattered over
different journals and disciplines, with dialogue flashing up here
and there in an unstructured manner. This chaos exists because a
general framework is lacking.
The journal of memetics, and the symposium it organizes, aims to tackle
this problem. We seek to discuss issues concerning memetics such as:
* Mechanisms involved in evolutionary processes. Comparisons of
different models of evolution are especially welcome.
* Philosophical or theoretical issues concerning epistemology and
evolution
* Boundaries of the evolutionary approach
* Empirical research
* Fundamental approaches aiming at structuring the field of memetics as
a science
SUBMISSION OF PAPERS
Prospective contributors are invited to submit a 1-page (about 2K)
abstract (preferably including references), along with the author's
name, postal and email address and affiliations. The submission should
be sent by email to the symposium chair, Mario Vaneechoutte
<Mario.Vaneechoutte@rug.ac.be>. The deadline for receiving submissions
is March 10, 1998.
The proposals will be refereed by the journal's review board. You
will be notified about the acceptance (or rejection) of your proposal
as soon as possible, but not later than March 31, 1998. If accepted,
the full text of the paper, which must not exceed 6 typed,
single-spaced pages, is to be sent by postal mail to the congress
secretariat before May 31, 1998.
All papers that are personally presented by the author at the
congress will be published in the congress Proceedings. The authors of
the best papers will be invited to publish an extended version in the
Journal of Memetics. Authors who already published a paper in the
Journal are encouraged to submit a shorter, updated version of their
paper for the Symposium. Researchers who cannot participate in the
symposium are still invited to directly submit a full paper for
publication in the Journal to the managing editor (see the information
for authors at
http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/ifa.html).
If you wish you can submit a maximum of two papers in different
symposia of the congress. Submissions for other symposia should be
sent directly to the congress secretariat before January 31, 1998.
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
The following contributions have already been proposed:
* F. Heylighen (Free Univ. of Brussels): What makes a meme successful?
Selection criteria for cultural evolution.
* M. Vaneechoutte (Univ. of Ghent): The replicator: a misnomer.
Conceptual Implications for genetics and memetics.
* L. Gabora (UCLA): Memes and the Creative Process.
* H-C. Speel (Univ. of Delft): Why memes are also interactors.
* M. Best (MIT): Computational memetics: analysis and synthesis.
___________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE CONGRESS
The 15th International Congress on Cybernetics will be held from
August 24 to 28, 1998, in Namur (Belgium) at the Institute for
Computer Sciences of the University of Namur. The International
Congresses on Cybernetics are organized triannually (since 1956) by
the International Association for Cybernetics (IAC). The
interdisciplinary domain of cybernetics, which is closely related to
memetics, addresses subjects such as information, communication,
organization, intelligence, complex systems, and feedback loops.
Namur is a quiet little city on the confluence of the Meuse and
Sambre rivers, at the foot of a hill supporting impressive medieval
fortifications. Its charming old streets offer plenty of restaurants
and cafes. It is situated at an hour's drive by car or train from
Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of the European Union, at the
border of the beautiful forested region of the Ardennes.
The congress atmosphere is relaxed and informal, with several
symposia going on in parallel in adjacent rooms. Lunches can be taken
at the university restaurant, in the restored mediaeval Arsenal. The
congress normally includes a congress dinner, an excursion, and a
meeting room for coffee breaks. Participants are responsible for
making their own hotel reservations, but good quality and inexpensive
accomodation in students' rooms will be available. A list of hotels
will be forwarded on request.
The official languages of the Congress are English and French (the
memetics symposium will be exclusively in English).
OTHER SYMPOSIA (PRELIMINARY PROGRAM)
Chairpersons/Topics
- ANDONIAN Greg (Canada)
Architectural Computing and Networking : Perspectives on Hi-Tech
and Globalisation
- ANDREEWSKY Evelyne (France)
NICOLLE Anne (France)
Dcision et Langage - la dialectique du savoir et du dire -
Decision and Language; the Dialectic of Knowledge and Saying
- BARANDOVSKA-FRANK Vera (Germany)
Contributions de l'interlinguistique la cyberntique de la
communication humaine - Contributions of Interlinguistics to Human
Communication Cybernetics
- BETTA Jan (Poland)
Gnie des systmes industriels : un champ nouveau d'applications
de
l'approche systmique - Engineering of Industrial Systems : a new Field
of
Applied Systemic Approach
- BOUCHON-MEUNIER Bernadette (France)
Fouille de donnes - Data Mining
- BOYD Gary (Canada)
ZEMAN Vladimir (Canada)
The Cybernetics of Rational and Liberative Education
- BRIER Soren (Denmark)
Cybernetics and Semiotics : How can they supplement each other
in
Life, Information and Social Sciences
- CARON Armand (France)
Les rseaux neuronaux, l'acquisition des connaissances et leurs
traitements - Neural Networks, Knowledge acquisition and processing
- DUBOIS Daniel (Belgium)
General Methods for Systems Modeling and Control
- FOMICHOV Vladimir (Russia)
Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science and Philosophy for
Social Progress
- FRANK Helmar (Germany)
Les media dits "modernes" en communication scientifique et
didactique - So-called "Modern" Media in Scientific and Didactic
Communication
- HAZA-VANDENPEEREBOOM (USA)
The Development of Artificial Entities: An Interdisciplinary
Approach toward the Understanding of Self Contained Systems
- JDANKO Alexis (Israel)
Essence and History of Cybernetics
- JEAN Roger (Canada)
Biomathmatique et/ou biologie thorique - Biomathematics and/or
Theoretical Biology
- LASKER George (Canada)
Synergistic Effects of Local and Global Developments on our
Lives
and on our Future
- MURPHY Dennis (Canada)
NARANJO Michel (France)
L'image travers les rseaux et l'ducation la citoyennet - The
Image through Networks and Education to Citizenship
- NUNEZ E.A. (France)
Functional Analogies between Biological, Social and
Technological
Domains
- POLAKOVA Eva (Slovak Republik)
Prospects and possibilities of objective international studies
of
border disciplines in respect to anthropocybernetics
- SCHWARZ Eric (Switzerland)
Holistic Aspects of Systems Science
- STEG Doreen (USA)
Communication, Control and Organization in Complex Systems
- WARBURTON Brian (U.K.)
Information, Context, and Meaning
___________________________________________________________________
REGISTRATION FEES
The registration fee covers participation in the Congress, the
preparatory
documents, a reception, the coffee-breaks and the Proceedings for the
authors.
Before April 30, 1998 / After April 30, 1998
11 000 BEF 14 000 BEF
Special conditions for young researchers under 30 years (on presentation
of
a certificate issued by their university) (does not include the
Proceedings)
4 000 BEF 5 000 BEF
(1$ = about 37 BEF - Belgian Franc)
Payment can be made as follows :
* to bank account nr 250-0077851-45 with the Generale de Banque
* to giro account nr 000-0045356-57
* by cheque or international money order
made out to : Association Internationale de Cybernetique, Palais des
Expositions, B-5000 Namur (Belgium).
___________________________________________________________________
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information about the memetics symposium, check the
symposium
web page (http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MEMETSY.html) or contact the
symposium
chairs:
Mario Vaneechoutte (submissions)
Laboratory Bacteriology & Virology
Blok A, De Pintelaan 185
University Hospital Ghent
9000 Ghent, Belgium
Phone +32-9-240 36 92
Fax +32-9-240 36 59
E-mail Mario.Vaneechoutte@rug.ac.be
Francis Heylighen
Center "Leo Apostel"
Free University of Brussels
Pleinlaan 2
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Phone +32-2-644 26 77
Fax +32-2-644 07 44
Email fheyligh@vub.ac.be
For registration, or further information about the congress,
contact the congress secretariat, using the application form below:
International Association for Cybernetics
Palais des Expositions, avenue Sergent Vrithoff 2
B-5000 Namur, Belgium
Phone +32-81-71 71 71
Fax +32-81-71 71 00
Email Cyb@info.fundp.ac.be
____________________________________________________________________
Application Form
15th Int. Congress on Cybernetics (Namur, 24-28 August, 1998)
Name : .......................................................
First name :..................................................
Profession and titles:........................................
Institution: .................................................
................................................................
Address : ....................................................
...............................................................
...............................................................
Phone : ....................................................
Fax:..........................................................
E-mail :......................................................
o I would like to receive more information about the Congress
o I would like to attend the Congress
o I intend to present a paper to the following symposium :
...............................................................
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Title of Paper :.............................................
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Date : Signature:
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