Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA01935 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 18 Feb 2002 00:18:55 GMT From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Words and memes: criteria for acceptance of new belief or meme Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 13:10:40 -0500 Message-ID: <NEBBKOADILIOKGDJLPMAOEEHCLAA.debivort@umd5.umd.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 In-Reply-To: <p04320400b894842a7b89@[192.168.2.3]> Importance: Normal Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Keith, I don't view this as 'bypassing' a person's judgment-making
mechanisms: rather, the cult has simply managed to find the right 'fit' for
its memes, and so it sailed through the person's mechanisms.
Others will have differing mechanisms, and so will be impervious to the
cult.
The Court, of course, must make pronouncements of principles that will guide
the law, regardless of these differing judgment-making mechanisms...
In the same way, Christianity and Islam (of whatever brands) will fit the
filters of some and not of others.
What does, IMHO, separate cults and religions from other belief systems, is
that they install meta-beliefs that make it particularly hard for their
targets to re-think their initial acceptance and leave the belief system.
Doubt that and adherent may begin to experience is characterized, for
example, as the temptation of the devil.
Lawrence
> Keith said:
>
> >
> >I would argue that memes *can* destroy or bypass judgment-making
> >mechanisms. They do this by inducing behavior such as the "love
> >bombing" and isolation as done by the Moonies. ". . . Molko v.Holy
> >Spirit Association (1988) 46 Cal.3d 1092, in which the California
> >Supreme Court held that the First Amendment did not bar civil causes
> >of action for fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress
> >and restitution when a cult used deception to cause an unsuspecting
> >individual to expose himself to brainwashing techniques and suffered
> >damage as a result."
> >
>
>
> "Faith" bypasses judgment-making mechanisms. And "Submission to
> God's Will" as well (be it Muslim or Christian). In an area where
> many people believe in taking the bible literally, there is
> considerable hostility to reason/science/evolution.
>
> frankie
>
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This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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