List,
I wanted to believe that the idea of a "memetic age" had merit. But I think
that the memetic age is subsumed by the age of mass production and the age
of mechanization. I see the majority of us in the age of mass production
and dealing with the issue of control--money and sex. I see some of in the
age of mechanization and dealing with the issues of standards--quantity and
quality. I see very few of us in the age of "the unique"*.
The "new age" dawning--for the majority of us--is the one which a minority
are already living and will probably be understood as an age of
"re-creation". The term indicates re-creating an ideal in such a way as to
play around with standards. I was ready to say that this is to be the last
stage of development (why, I wonder now?). Perhaps a "memetic age"--which
could imply "mass-production of unique standards" has some momentum and
merit?!?! But, as some of us are still living within the age of concrete
reasoning...it might be awhile (another 200 years?) before this is an
"age"--at least on the popular level.
Brett
*my designation for what must naturally follow control and standards as what
is mechanized creates concerns about the differences and similarities
between originals and copies leading to the re-creation of the person who
produced the original in a way that the copy is itself an original of
sorts...so, "the unique" is a term which means that "both originals and
copies are compared and contrasted for similarities and differences by which
a *unique* ideal is understood"
Returning,
rBERTS%n
Rabble Sonnet Retort
Shaw's Principle:
Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will
want to use it.