Re: virus: 200 words for snow

Grant Callaghan (grantc@cts.com)
Thu, 5 Jun 1997 15:08:45 -0700 (PDT)


On Thu, 5 Jun 1997, Dave Pape wrote:

> >>
> >There's a problem that memetics has yet to clear up. If someone uses
> >a meme to make a different point, does that make it a new meme? If so,
> >then we just might have 600 memes for snow.
>
> Well, memes have fuzzy boundaries and that but you could say "same meme,
> transmitted with different companion memes, the 'different point' is a
> different metameme."
>
The only problem with that philosophy is that every time you use a word
or phrase, you use it in a slightly different way to make a slightly
(or significantly) different point. That would make every use of a word
the creation of a new meme. Kind of self defeating isn't it?

Grant Callaghan
grantc@cts.com