Memes - more information please...

O'Regan, Emlyn (Emlyn.ORegan@actew.com.au)
Tue, 8 Jun 1999 10:33:02 +1000

I've read a little, but not much, about memes. I'm impressed by the concept (meme)!

Looking at all this gun debate, couldn't all this debate be phrased in terms of memes about untrustworthy government, slippery slope of non-purist stance in regard to rights, this is just what hitler would say (or you are evil), etc...

Maybe the whole thing would get interesting if we started restricting ourselves to phrasing messages in terms of memetic content. So the above becomes:

<MEME: MEMES ARE GOOD>
<MEME: GUN DEBATE IS POINTLESS> + <MEME: CONTENT DOES NOT JUSTIFY VOLUME>

<MEME: A NEW WAY IS BETTER THAN THE OLD WAY FOR THE SAKE OF NEWNESS ALONE> +
<MEME: MEMES ARE GOOD> + <MEME: CONTENT DOES NOT JUSTIFY VOLUME>

etc...

So we need a list of common memes (I'm expecting a hundred responses telling me where that is), and an ability to define new memes.

Sorry if I've abused the concept of meme. I need to know more about this. Replies can include favourite reading lists (although I've got to finished Godel, Escher, Bach first - almost had a brain hemorrage in the last chapter of Part I).

I know of Viruses of the Mind, and will grab a copy. Where to after that?

Thanks,

Emlyn
<MEME: SELF DEPRECATING HUMOR IMPRESSES OTHERS>