Re: virus: Maximum development of memes

John Porter (jporter@btg.com)
Mon, 10 Jun 1996 15:25:52 -0400


Memes are necessarily hosted by sentient beings. So far, that's just us.
[That is, if there are other meme-supporting minds out there, there has
been no meme-transfer between them and us. (wink to Tad)]
We continue to produce meme-supporting resources, and without the help of
memes, I believe. Not that there aren't plenty of sex/procreation memes
floating around.
So, by this standard, a maximally developed meme not only has saturated
the population of earth, but includes a directive to bear as many children
as possible. (Ethical aside: is this what we want?)

Vicki Rosenzweig wrote:
>
> A meme which has reached its maximum
> development is incapable of further propagation. While it seems that a
> total monopoly on meme supporting resources is a memetic victory, the
> cessation of replicative activity is also memetic death. hmmmm....
>
> The interesting question which seems to arise from this line of thinking
> is, "Has any meme ever reached its maximum developement?" At first blush,
> I would say no. It seems that as long as there is additional matter to be
> refashioned into meme supporting architecture, a meme (meme-complex) can
> always continue to propagate by directing its hosts to reshape available
> material to form new meme-sustaining enivironments.

-- 
John Porter
jporter@btg.com