Memetics, the way a new worldview can act as an overall-language to promote communication between disciplines.
By Hans Cees Speel
PHD-student (AIO) Policy-Analysis at the University of Technology,
Delft, The Netherlands.
Fax: +31 15 78 34 22
E-mail: Hanss@sepa.tudelft.nl
Tel.:+31 15 78 57 76 [not on mondays]
Abstract:
This presentation aims at showing how memetics as a
topic, can help to integrate ideas from different
disciplines. The basic idea is that an
interdisciplinary object for theorizing and research
can act as a catalyst for communication between
scientists educated in different disciplines. This can
help to create the conditions needed for different
disciplines to cooperate, and to gain a better
understanding of complex processes in human society.
The basis of memetics is an elaboration of the
evolutionary theories of genes in biology[1]. These
theories can be used for research into the evolution of
memes in human society. Here memetic
issues are taken to include ideas in human minds,
institutions, tacit knowledge, pictures, and all rules
governing human behavior. A meme is accordingly defined
as any object of culture that is replicable and can be
disseminated among human beings. Memetics is defined as
the study of processes relevant to the dissemination of
memes throughout human society. I believe that this very
broad definition of memes, explicitly combined with three
broad meta-theories, makes it possible both to
interconnect previously separated theories, and to find
new common themes within the social sciences.
Insights into aspects of the dissemination of knowledge
throughout human society cannot be gained without the use
of concepts that have originated in many different
disciplines, which also means that the object of
memetics is relevant to many disciplines. An important
effect of studying memetics can therefore be the convergence of
different kinds of jargon.
The meta-languages or meta-theories currently used in memetics are taken from biological
evolutionary theory. An elaboration by explicitly using
the evolution-metaphor, the ecology-metaphor and the
self-organization-metaphor would be a usefull strategy. In the past, these
metaphors have facilitated a general jargon in biology,
and could do the same for the human-sciences. The
evolution-metaphor consists of complex systems of replicating rules
[systems of genes or memes, or more generally
'retention systems'] with variation, and the selection of
certain rules by an environment, or other rules. The
ecology-metaphor consists of geographical variation
of populations of retention systems and recombination
of replicated rules [genes or cultural rules] from different
populations by processes of communication. The
selforganization-metaphor consist of processes of
variation, retention and selection inside systems
without regard to external selection pressures.
The dissemination of memes is thought to be affected by
1) features, and dynamics in the rate of communication
between geographically located humans [or groups or
societies], 2) the way humans [or groups] are 'open to, and interested in, new
thoughts' and, 3) the selective value memes can have for themselves,
or for the retentionsystems they are part of.
The memetic evolutionary-methaphor [or self-organization
metaphor, depending on the system-boundary drawn]
includes theories concerning:
The effects memes can have on the survival of
humans or for instance organizations
Processes governing the innovation of meme[plexe]s
The connection between spreading of memes and the
features of human individual cognition and group cognition
The psychological features of humans with regard to meme uptake
The effects of certain memes [beliefs, behavioral
patterns] on the way humans [or groups or societies] select other memes
Historical explanations of different memes in different societies
The ecology-metaphor includes theories concerning:
The spreading of new meme[plexe]s in space and time
The connection between memes and niches of human activity
The influence of increasing communication on the
different meme pools from societies separated geographically or otherwise
The spreading of meme plexes in space and time
In this general view it may be helpful to make a
distinction between different levels in the objects of
study of memetics: the theories stated above can be
applied on different levels of organization.
References:
[1] For an introduction to memetics see Moritz E.
1990a. Memetic Science, Journal of Ideas 1:3-23. Also
available on world wide web:
http://www.sepa.tudelft.nl/~afd_ba/morihp0.html.
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Hans-Cees
The Evolution of Complexity - Abstracts.