From: Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Sat 23 Nov 2002 - 02:29:07 GMT
On Friday, November 22, 2002, at 09:02 , Bruce Howlett wrote:
> What is relevant to memetics here is the power of a belief.
What sort of power did the catholic missionaries have that infected
entire continents?
Was it really the power of a belief?
What is it about proselytizing religions that moves them into and among
a populace?
> remedy for chest colds, consisting of a slathering of goose fat on the
> chest covered with brown paper, bandaged on for 3 days. Sounds like
> torture to me but she swore it worked.
Most chest colds will dissipate over three days, from natural
immunities. The placebo effect has, in several studies, been eliminated
as a cause.
The sustain over time of a belief and its distribution is what is
relevant to memetics. Power is not a useful descriptor, since it is a
physical property and needs to be measured rather than deduced.
- Wade
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