Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA21787 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 21 May 2002 17:29:20 +0100 Message-ID: <000f01c200e5$5cb6f480$c1afeb3e@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <kennethvanoost@myrealbox.com> References: <570E2BEE7BC5A34684EE5914FCFC368C10FCDC@fillan.stir.ac.uk> <002901c20013$3ebabfc0$e72de90c@attbi.com> Subject: Re: morality and memes Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 18:33:23 +0200 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Philip Jonkers <philipjonkers@prodigy.net>
> Interesting question Vincent. I feel that individual animals living in
> solitude know no morals.
> That is, they will stop at nothing, including killing or wounding other
> animals of their species, to get their
> share of food. Social animals are a little different. It simply isn't good
> for the species to have no
> stop at getting food if it damages the wellbeing of fellow social
> group-members. So here's
> some set of morals desired however basic and primitive.
Hi Philip,
I do not entirely agree with this, though !
I understand where you are drifting at, but such a point of view is inbedded
in the political correctness of this time.
What I mean is this.
Lets consider the concept of a multicultural society. These days such a
concept is something inevitable but is it also desirable !? If you agree or
not is not the point, but the notion that your opinion is noted is. It seems
that nowadays people experience this as a problem.
Everybody understands what Ramadam is, everybody understands why
some people go to church where others go to the mosque, everybody
did bought some vegetables in a shop run by a Marokkian, but futher
than this nobody goes. Everybody has the right to express his or hers
cultural characteristics and behavior in the ways it should be done, but
that doesn 't mean we have to take all the time this in our account !
We give the impression to the public and to some minority groups that
they are special and need special care. In that way we give them privi-
leges where there are none needed. Such things lead to misunderstan-
dings, agression and intolerance.
To go back to your comment, in the context of natural selection where
survival is the highest priority, getting at food and in the meanwhile
damaging social structures or the wellbeing of fellow man is * good * !
Regarding this memetically, the evolution goes that fast that we can 't
hold on to such social structures anymore_ these are individualistical
traits where no collective has a grip on. You may change laws, the
constitution of the land for that matter, but that is something what the
people don 't want_ they want to survive, whatever it may cost.
Memes don 't care about morals, some are bound to them I agree,
but in every way, if it necessary they will betray any of the moralistic
memes....
The major problem of today, IMO, is that all ideologies, whatever they
might be or what might be their bias or origin, don 't have any inbedded
understanding of what the considerations of any individual is and might
be ! Oh, we do have the slogan that everybody is equal and oh so diffe-
rent, but everything is based on the former and not on the latter !
We must begin to make * differencies *, collective laws and order, but
wherein everybody can find their own ' morals '.
Maybe it is time, to lay down not only our testament by the notary, but
also to which morals we wish to be bound, live by them and stick to them!
To some degree, IMO, collectiviness is passé !
Regards,
Kenneth
> Regarding memetically. Morals can be expressed linguistically. So they are
> intrinsically memetic
> or culturally transmittable. If morals lead to increase in fitness of the
> group at hand moralistic memes
> may flourish. So yes, morals can very well be memetic and yes they can
also
> have a biological basis.
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