[MD] Distinguishing Levels

[craigerb at comcast.net]

 [Mike] 
 > Imitation of elders must play a part, too, but imitation also 
 > requires that the imitator individuates patterns to be imitated. 

Mike,
My first gloss on your post was that you had said that in order to imitate, the imitator is required to have the SAME patterns as his/her elder.  Then my Wittgensteinian point was that there was no criteria for the same pattern other than it was an imitation.
While I'm here I want you to consider--if you haven't already--the possiblitity that an imitator's individuating patterns to be imitated is not a requirement but (sometimes? always?) an outcome of imitiation.
Craig