virus: Memes and Spirits

Reed Konsler (konsler@ascat.harvard.edu)
Thu, 27 Mar 1997 13:52:34 -0500 (EST)


On Tue, 25 Mar 1997, Tadeusz Niwinski <tad@teta.ai> wrote:

>A serious question. What is a difference between saying that Memes control
>us or that Spirits control us? (I mean the angel-devil spirits, not fine
>cognac spirits).

I've though of this, too. A lot of propositions I might make I can already
see unraveling in the bright light of dissection.

Here is one difference I think might hold water (for a time):

Spirits are percieved as having "intentionallity". A spirit can "want"
something,
can plan cognitively, etc. A spirit is a whole point-of-view without a current
body. A spirit is as complicated as the person it is said to "possess".

Memes don't have "intentionallity" although they might appear to. A meme
doesn't
have the same vitality as a spirit, it is a program. A meme is simpler that the
person it is said to possess.

Another:
Spirits are believed to have existence independent of their hosts. Memes
do not.

In a lot of ways, though, they do seem similar.

Reed

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Reed Konsler konsler@ascat.harvard.edu
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