Tim Tyler: My memetic misunderstandings

In this video, I discuss some of the misunderstandings of cultural evolution which I once laboured under.

It is, essentially, a confession video, where I publicly parade the history of my own confusion.

Transcript: http://www.alife.co.uk/essays/my_memetic_misunderstandings/

Please buy my book on Memetics: http://memetics.timtyler.org/

"Memetics: Memes and the Science of Cultural Evolution."

Amazon.com link: http://amazon.com/dp/1461035260/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• memetics
• meme
• evolution

[wonderist]

In my view, anything that instantiates those 5 concepts will undergo a process of evolution. Be it genes, memes, GA/GP, or whatever.

[wonderist]

Generation refers to the exponential parent-child generation process, and communication refers to the copying/inheritance of information from parent to child, whereas variation implies that this communication is not perfect.

E.g. To speak is generation. The information encoded in the sound waves is communication. The error in the process is variation, and to hear is one kind of selection (remember it or not).

I only use 'replicator' to indicate some information is taking part in this algorithm.

[wonderist]

Thanks for this. It's fascinating to hear about how you developed your ideas.

Regarding 'replicator': I also think this isn't a great word. I boil down the abstract evolutionary algorithm as:

1) Generation

2) Communication

3) Variation

4) Selection

5) Iteration (return to step 1)

I consider 'replication' to be two distinct things, namely 'generation' and 'communication'.

[hord]

its good saying ya own misunderstandings, a good researcher will as they can learn better from it.