Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA02235 (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 00:59:08 GMT Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 19:53:53 -0500 Subject: Re: draft abstract Sex, Drugs and Cults Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In-Reply-To: <000901c1b7e9$7f519300$12afeb3e@default> Message-Id: <FAEDD716-2409-11D6-8DEC-003065B9A95A@harvard.edu> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.480) Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>> I would like to add that every activity that is rewarded can be
>> addictive.
>> Attention (from cults) is particularly rewarding
One of the reasons alternative (quack) medicine is popular is because
the practitioners (con-artists) are _attentive_ to the patient (mark).
The fact that such treatments (snake-oils) are non-curative, is just
another example of memetic behavior being antagonistic to survival.
Adherents to quackery are most definitely showing cultish behavior.
- Wade
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