Conference hydra::dejavu

1538.0. "The Journal of Ideas newsletter" by PRMS00::TSTARK (Shadow dream logic) Wed Sep 18 1991 16:20

    This is circulating on the USENET.  Seems like something
    many participants here might be interested in.  I don't
    know anything about it other than this post ...
    						todd
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  The Journal of Ideas started publication in 1990.

 Attached below are two files describing the scope of
 the Journal and some recent abstracts. We encourage
 submission of interdisciplinary papers that fall within
 the scope of the Journal.  Requests for further details
 and subscription information should be forwarded to
 Elan Moritz, at the Institute for Memetic Research
 [internet e-mail:  moritz@well.sf.ca.us].

 Please circulate and post.

 Thanks,  Elan Moritz

     ___________________________________________________________________



                            *   Journal of Ideas  *




                published by   The Institute for Memetic Research
                PO Box 16327,  Panama City, Florida 32406-1327 USA



    Editors                               Editorial Advisory Board
   --------                               ------------------------

Elan Moritz                              R. Wilburn Clouse, Vanderbilt U.
Patricia S. Smith                        Peter Kiss, Sentar Inc. Huntsville
The Institute for Memetic Research,      Matthew Witten, U. Texas System,
Panama City                              Austin




          ------------------------------------------------------------
          manuscripts and information requests should be directed to
          Elan Moritz (E-mail:  moritz@well.sf.ca.us)
          ------------------------------------------------------------


     **  AIMS &  SCOPE  **   The Journal of Ideas  is an archival  (print)
     forum  dedicated  to  the  dissemination  of  research  results   and
     discussion relating to the formation and spread of ideas in human and
     machine systems.  Areas covered  include: 1) dynamical and structural
     theories of idea and  meme generation, mutation, combination,  spread
     and dissolution, 2) knowledge generation, representation, and storage
     in living and artificial systems, 3) cognition and self-awareness  in
     living and  artificial  systems  4)  generalized  theories  of  life,
     evolution, and  ecology  in  biological,  mechanical  and  electronic
     systems, 5) classical and  quantum mechanical theories of  brain/mind
     interactions, 6) human  and   machine creativity and,  7) results  of
     experiments in the preceding areas.   The Journal publishes  research
     communications, critical  reviews,  short notes,  book  reviews,  and
     relevant historical material.   The  Journal is geared  to a  diverse
     audience coming from classical disciplines such as physics,  biology,
     evolutionary  and  ecological   studies,  psychology,   anthropology,
     computer science, mathematics, and philosophy.

     _____________________________________________________________________





 -------------->>>>>>>>>>------------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>-------------

Abstracts of Papers Published in Volume 1
-------------------------------------------



MEMETIC  SCIENCE:  I - Introduction

E. Moritz - The Institute for Memetic Research, FL


Memetic Science is the name  of a new field that deals with the
quantitative analysis of cultural transfer. The units of cultural
transfer are entities called "memes". In a nutshell, memes are to
cultural and mental constructs as genes are to biological organisms.
Examples of memes are ideas, tunes, fashions, and virtually any
cultural and behavioral unit that gets copied with a certain degree
of fidelity. It is argued that the understanding of memes is of
similar importance and consequence as the understanding of processes
involving DNA and RNA in molecular biology. This paper presents a
rigorous foundation for discussion of memes and approaches to
quantifying  relevant aspects of meme genesis, interaction, mutation,
growth, death and spreading processes. It is also argued in this
paper that  recombinant memetics  is possible in complete analogy to
recombinant DNA / genetic engineering. Special attention is paid to
memes in written modern English.




CULTURAL EVOLUTION: A BIOLOGIST'S VIEW

J. T. Bonner - Princeton University,  NJ


Culture is defined here as information transmitted from one
individual to another by behavioral means.  The evolution of culture
is discussed in terms of selection of units of behavioral information
defined as memes.  The relationships of genes, memes, behavior and
the role of individual and collective memory in cultural evolution
are explored.  Changes obtained via human cultural evolution are
comparable in magnitude to changes resulting from millions of years
of genetical evolution.





... GENERAL THEORY OF BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION

D. R. Brooks and D. A. McLennan - University of Toronto


One approach to finding a unified theory of biology stems from
perceptions that (1) the direction of time and history are important
aspects of biological systems, (2) biological systems are highly
non-linear, (3) biological systems are far from equilibrium, and that
the historically-constrained nonequilibrium behavior of biological
systems produces (4) hierarchical organization and (5) steady states
that may act as local equilibria to such an extent that natural
selection is expected to play an important role in explaining much of
their short-term (micro-) evolutionary behavior.  Internal production
rules in biological systems require outside energy but are also
highly insensitive to the conditions of the external environment from
which the energy comes.  This leads to the production of historically
constrained, spontaneously stable, complex structure.  Because the
production rules are physically encoded in the structure of the
system, biological systems are physical information systems, and
their expected behavior over time follows a general entropic
dynamic.  The autonomy of the production rules leads to an
explanation for the reality of natural selection that does not rely
on analogy with human economic theory.  The historical nature of the
elements of diversity at any given time leads to an expectation that
the details of responses to external evolutionary forces (such as
natural selection, competition, geological changes) will be highly
individualized.  Hence, evolutionary regularities will tend to be
highly generalized (macroevolutionary) or statistical in nature.





THE METABOLIC ROOTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

R. A. Wiley - BioBalance Services, FL


Clinical research dealing with metabolic dysfunctions indicates that
the evolution of disorders commonly referred to as psychogenic,
mental, behavioral and stress-related is governed predominantly by
intermediary metabolic activity.  These dysfunctions, characterized
by weak or poorly coupled interactions within Kreb's cycle and the
Embden-Meyerhoff pathways, can be nutritionally countereffected
thereby limiting and often eliminating the extent to which they are
cognitively, affectively and behaviorally articulated.  This research
suggests that genetic factors and nutritional input are primary
determinants of psychometabolic pathology.  The implications of this
research are profound, extend far beyond the domains of clinical
psychology and medicine, and may go on to impact disciplines as
diverse as psycholinguistics, sociobiology, criminology, cultural
anthropology and zoology to mention only a few.  The status of
clinical research regarding the role of intermediary metabolism in
shaping cognitive performance is reviewed in this article.  A generic
mathematical formalism of metabolic activity is developed, and a
metric mapping metabolic activity into cognitive activity is proposed
and discussed.



... THE GLOBAL INFORMATION CAPACITY OF A MACROSCOPIC SYSTEM  ...

S. N. Salthe - Brooklyn College, CUNY, NY


This paper attempts to sketch out in what way macroscopic information
must be entropic.  If this can be shown, a larger science, of
infodynamics - the study of uncertainties, can subsume thermodynamics
and information theory.  It is crucial for these purposes that a
finite observer be stipulated for all informational exchanges, and,
in order to achieve the desired result, that observer must be located
inside the supersystem that contains the object systems it
interprets.





MEMES AND CREATIONISM

H. K. Henson and A. L. - San Jose, CA


This paper discusses the question of creationism and evolution theory
in the context of memes. Several key questions are raised including
the questions  of why humans have beliefs at all, and why does belief
in evolution excite substantial opposition. The authors address the
competition of memes in the meme pool and propose the existence of
meme 'receptor sites' responsible for strong maintenance of religious
beliefs.


----- Journal of Ideas --------Volume 1 #1 ----------Abstracts


...................................................................

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