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ORB Visualization

(soon)

 

Communication from someone

 

1/31/2004 10:45:34 AM

 

<Quote>

Lashley's (1950)>thirty-year research agenda suggests that memes cannot be "a [distinct] pattern in the brain".  Lashley found that the brain is a learning machine, with all areas acting as worthy substitutes for any other area; lesions reduce learning in proportional amounts (i.e., more destruction of brain, greater complexity of task and more disruption).

</quote>

 

Comment extracted from longer communication

 

I am familiar with this work.  It does not present any problems for memes being patterns, even distinct patterns in the brain.  I could use holograms as an example, or better, Stego.  A friend of mine, Romano Mochado, wrote this program that distributes the bits of a message into the lowest bits of a large graphic image.  The fact that you can't see a text file distributed into the low bits of an image does not prevent it from being there.

 

Same way with memories or learning.  They certainly are distributed widely in the brain.  There is also no doubt whatsoever that they are there.  Just like the Stego program can recover the bits in a text message learning/memories can be accessed by the brain.  This is demonstrated every time a person recalls and uses the combination to a safe or a password to log onto their computer.  (Or a phone number, or the way home . . . .)