Re: virus: Is the term "meme" necessary?
Tom Loeber (chiploeber@telis.org)
Tue, 14 May 1996 09:21:01 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Not to nitpick on what is admittedly a tangent, but:
>1. "weight's scientific model includes multiple masses" is a meaningless
>statement.
>
>2. mass, a "singular phenomenon" if you will, is an intrinsic property of
>matter and of any chunk of matter. Weight is not; it is derivative; it is
>dependent on the matter's environment.
>Not they aren't both useful to know. But if you know the weight, all you know
>is the force needed to keep the object stationary under some acceleration
>(such as gravity). Knowing the mass is knowing a great deal more than this.
>
>John Porter
>jporter@btg.com
>
Gee whiz. Weight requires at least two masses and an accelerating force be
it gravity or inertia. I'm sorry if something that requires contextual
relationship for complete understanding appears meaningless to you. Could
it be because patriotism to the "meme" concept requires considering
something without using "memes" meaningless (memeless)? I realize that 1+1
very rarely equals 2 in universe except in the realm of pure mathematics
(here's something else we can discuss if you wish) but to say 1+1 is less
than 2, that's even more special case and rare. I guess if something is
"derivative" it doesn't have a scientific interpretation? The concept of
"weight" has been around longer than the concept of "mass" and "weight" has
and continues to have a vernacular relational definition but just because
people have used something without being aware of its dynamics doesn't
necessitate that the thing under consideration doesn't have a "scientific"
interpretation. I once threw a rock about 75 feet and hit a brick the first
time I tried. I was unconscious of any equations of ballistics, required
forces, initital trajectory, etc. but this doesn't mean such considerations
didn't occur at some level of my being. My statements may seem meaningless
to you but I find at least one of your claims to be logically false. Please
don't take this personally. Are we in this togethor for mutual awareness
enhancement or are we just brow beating?