CALL FOR PAPERS ********************************************************* * SYMPOSIUM on MEMETICS - * * EVOLUTIONARY MODELS OFINFORMATION TRANSMISSION * ********************************************************* as part of the 15th International Congress on Cybernetics NAMUR (Belgium), August 24-28, 1998 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For up-to-date, hyperlinked information, check the symposium web page: http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MEMETSY.html ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM The "Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission" (JOM-EMIT), in collaboration with the Principia Cybernetica Project, is organizing a first symposium on memetics. The aim of the journal is to integrate the different approaches inspired by memetics, and thus try to establish memetics as a recognized scientific field. The symposium similarly wishes to bring together all researchers working on memetics, in order to allow them to meet face to face, thus stimulating discussions and possible collaborations. The symposium is chaired by two members of the Journal's editorial board, Francis Heylighen and Mario Vaneechoutte. The emphasis will be on discussion, rather than on formal presentation. SYMPOSIUM THEME In 1976, Dawkins invented the word 'meme,' in analogy with the word 'gene', defining it as 'a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation'. Thus, he defined the field of memetics, which studies the development and spread of culture and information, on the basis of the Darwinian principles of variation, reproduction and natural selection. Further information on memetics is available through the journal's web server: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/ The initial description of 'meme' by Dawkins is rather vague, which is a possible reason for current diverging views on what a meme really is, and how the memetic model can be used. We are confronted with an avalanche of books, essays, and publications scattered over different journals and disciplines, with dialogue flashing up here and there in an unstructured manner. This chaos exists because a general framework is lacking. The journal of memetics, and the symposium it organizes, aims to tackle this problem. We seek to discuss issues concerning memetics such as: * Mechanisms involved in evolutionary processes. Comparisons of different models of evolution are especially welcome. * Philosophical or theoretical issues concerning epistemology and evolution * Boundaries of the evolutionary approach * Empirical research * Fundamental approaches aiming at structuring the field of memetics as a science SUBMISSION OF PAPERS Prospective contributors are invited to submit a 1-page (about 2K) abstract (preferably including references), along with the author's name, postal and email address and affiliations. The submission should be sent by email to the symposium chair, Mario Vaneechoutte . The deadline for receiving submissions is March 10, 1998. The proposals will be refereed by the journal's review board. You will be notified about the acceptance (or rejection) of your proposal as soon as possible, but not later than March 31, 1998. If accepted, the full text of the paper, which must not exceed 6 typed, single-spaced pages, is to be sent by postal mail to the congress secretariat before May 31, 1998. All papers that are personally presented by the author at the congress will be published in the congress Proceedings. The authors of the best papers will be invited to publish an extended version in the Journal of Memetics. Authors who already published a paper in the Journal are encouraged to submit a shorter, updated version of their paper for the Symposium. Researchers who cannot participate in the symposium are still invited to directly submit a full paper for publication in the Journal to the managing editor (see the information for authors at http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/ifa.html). If you wish you can submit a maximum of two papers in different symposia of the congress. Submissions for other symposia should be sent directly to the congress secretariat before January 31, 1998. PRELIMINARY PROGRAM The following contributions have already been proposed: * F. Heylighen (Free Univ. of Brussels): What makes a meme successful? Selection criteria for cultural evolution. * M. Vaneechoutte (Univ. of Ghent): The replicator: a misnomer. Conceptual Implications for genetics and memetics. * L. Gabora (UCLA): Memes and the Creative Process. * H-C. Speel (Univ. of Delft): Why memes are also interactors. * M. Best (MIT): Computational memetics: analysis and synthesis. ___________________________________________________________________ ABOUT THE CONGRESS The 15th International Congress on Cybernetics will be held from August 24 to 28, 1998, in Namur (Belgium) at the Institute for Computer Sciences of the University of Namur. The International Congresses on Cybernetics are organized triannually (since 1956) by the International Association for Cybernetics (IAC). The interdisciplinary domain of cybernetics, which is closely related to memetics, addresses subjects such as information, communication, organization, intelligence, complex systems, and feedback loops. Namur is a quiet little city on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, at the foot of a hill supporting impressive medieval fortifications. Its charming old streets offer plenty of restaurants and cafes. It is situated at an hour's drive by car or train from Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of the European Union, at the border of the beautiful forested region of the Ardennes. The congress atmosphere is relaxed and informal, with several symposia going on in parallel in adjacent rooms. Lunches can be taken at the university restaurant, in the restored mediaeval Arsenal. The congress normally includes a congress dinner, an excursion, and a meeting room for coffee breaks. Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations, but good quality and inexpensive accomodation in students' rooms will be available. A list of hotels will be forwarded on request. The official languages of the Congress are English and French (the memetics symposium will be exclusively in English). OTHER SYMPOSIA (PRELIMINARY PROGRAM) Chairpersons/Topics - ANDONIAN Greg (Canada) Architectural Computing and Networking : Perspectives on Hi-Tech and Globalisation - ANDREEWSKY Evelyne (France) NICOLLE Anne (France) Dcision et Langage - la dialectique du savoir et du dire - Decision and Language; the Dialectic of Knowledge and Saying - BARANDOVSKA-FRANK Vera (Germany) Contributions de l'interlinguistique la cyberntique de la communication humaine - Contributions of Interlinguistics to Human Communication Cybernetics - BETTA Jan (Poland) Gnie des systmes industriels : un champ nouveau d'applications de l'approche systmique - Engineering of Industrial Systems : a new Field of Applied Systemic Approach - BOUCHON-MEUNIER Bernadette (France) Fouille de donnes - Data Mining - BOYD Gary (Canada) ZEMAN Vladimir (Canada) The Cybernetics of Rational and Liberative Education - BRIER Soren (Denmark) Cybernetics and Semiotics : How can they supplement each other in Life, Information and Social Sciences - CARON Armand (France) Les rseaux neuronaux, l'acquisition des connaissances et leurs traitements - Neural Networks, Knowledge acquisition and processing - DUBOIS Daniel (Belgium) General Methods for Systems Modeling and Control - FOMICHOV Vladimir (Russia) Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science and Philosophy for Social Progress - FRANK Helmar (Germany) Les media dits "modernes" en communication scientifique et didactique - So-called "Modern" Media in Scientific and Didactic Communication - HAZA-VANDENPEEREBOOM (USA) The Development of Artificial Entities: An Interdisciplinary Approach toward the Understanding of Self Contained Systems - JDANKO Alexis (Israel) Essence and History of Cybernetics - JEAN Roger (Canada) Biomathmatique et/ou biologie thorique - Biomathematics and/or Theoretical Biology - LASKER George (Canada) Synergistic Effects of Local and Global Developments on our Lives and on our Future - MURPHY Dennis (Canada) NARANJO Michel (France) L'image travers les rseaux et l'ducation la citoyennet - The Image through Networks and Education to Citizenship - NUNEZ E.A. (France) Functional Analogies between Biological, Social and Technological Domains - POLAKOVA Eva (Slovak Republik) Prospects and possibilities of objective international studies of border disciplines in respect to anthropocybernetics - SCHWARZ Eric (Switzerland) Holistic Aspects of Systems Science - STEG Doreen (USA) Communication, Control and Organization in Complex Systems - WARBURTON Brian (U.K.) Information, Context, and Meaning ___________________________________________________________________ REGISTRATION FEES The registration fee covers participation in the Congress, the preparatory documents, a reception, the coffee-breaks and the Proceedings for the authors. Before April 30, 1998 / After April 30, 1998 11 000 BEF 14 000 BEF Special conditions for young researchers under 30 years (on presentation of a certificate issued by their university) (does not include the Proceedings) 4 000 BEF 5 000 BEF (1$ = about 37 BEF - Belgian Franc) Payment can be made as follows : * to bank account nr 250-0077851-45 with the Generale de Banque * to giro account nr 000-0045356-57 * by cheque or international money order made out to : Association Internationale de Cybernetique, Palais des Expositions, B-5000 Namur (Belgium). ___________________________________________________________________ FURTHER INFORMATION For further information about the memetics symposium, check the symposium web page (http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MEMETSY.html) or contact the symposium chairs: Mario Vaneechoutte (submissions) Laboratory Bacteriology & Virology Blok A, De Pintelaan 185 University Hospital Ghent 9000 Ghent, Belgium Phone +32-9-240 36 92 Fax +32-9-240 36 59 E-mail Mario.Vaneechoutte@rug.ac.be Francis Heylighen Center "Leo Apostel" Free University of Brussels Pleinlaan 2 B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Phone +32-2-644 26 77 Fax +32-2-644 07 44 Email fheyligh@vub.ac.be For registration, or further information about the congress, contact the congress secretariat, using the application form below: International Association for Cybernetics Palais des Expositions, avenue Sergent Vrithoff 2 B-5000 Namur, Belgium Phone +32-81-71 71 71 Fax +32-81-71 71 00 Email Cyb@info.fundp.ac.be ____________________________________________________________________ Application Form 15th Int. Congress on Cybernetics (Namur, 24-28 August, 1998) Name : ....................................................... First name :.................................................. Profession and titles:........................................ Institution: ................................................. ............................................................... Address : .................................................... ............................................................... ............................................................... Phone : .................................................... Fax:.......................................................... E-mail :...................................................... o I would like to receive more information about the Congress o I would like to attend the Congress o I intend to present a paper to the following symposium : ............................................................... ............................................................... Title of Paper :............................................. ............................................................... Date : Signature: ___________________________________________________________________