MEME-COMPLEX: A set of mutually-assisting memes which have co-evolved a
symbiotic relationship. Religious and political dogmas, social
movements, artistic styles, traditions and customs, chain letters,
paradigms, languages, etc. are meme-complexes. Also called an m-plex, or
scheme (Hofstadter). Types of co-memes commonly found in a scheme are
called the: bait; hook; threat; and vaccime. A successful scheme
commonly has certain attributes: wide scope (a paradigm that explains
much); opportunity for the carriers to participate and contribute;
conviction of its self-evident truth (carries Authority); offers order
and a sense of place, helping to stave off the dread of meaninglessness.
(Wheelis, quoted by Hofstadter.)
I have a feeling that the distinction between meme/meme-complex
problem, or the atomic meme problem is of the same nature as for genes.
Dawkins discusses the difficulty, is a codon too small to be a gene?
etc. It would be nice to share an agreed protocol to make our
comunications more fluent. I perceive all memes as divisible (until we
get into quantum memetics :)
Oh shit I am now more confused than I was when I first read Dave
Papes question, Dave you have infected me with your fractally recursive
wormhole.
Anyway Im posting this because it's got the lexicon definitions
in it which you might find helpfull.
Tony Hindle.
deeply confused.