From: AaronLynch@aol.com
Date: Sun 09 Feb 2003 - 21:18:00 GMT
This paper is now also published by the Swedish Defence
Research Agency in their report number FOI-R-0745-SE,
ISSN 1650-1942. The Swedish Defence Research Agency
publication also includes my shorter article "Thought Contation
in the AIDS Epidemic." On the web, the latter has a separate
page at http://www.thoughtcontagion.com/TCAIDS.htm.
--Aaron Lynch
In a message dated 11/25/2002 1:00:01 PM Central Standard
Time, AaronLynch@aol.com writes:
> Subj: A paper on thought contagions in mass conflict
> Date: 11/25/2002 1:00:01 PM Central Standard Time
> From: AaronLynch@aol.com
> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk
> Reply-to: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>
> On September 6 of 2002, I presented a paper at the Swedish Defence
> Research
> Agency in Stockholm. The paper, titled Thought Contagion in the Dynamics
of
> Mass Conflict, is online at http://www.thoughtcontagion.com/conflict.htm.
>
> Abstract:
> The evolutionary contagion of self-spreading ideas, or thought contagions,
> is
> introduced and applied to major topics in conflict dynamics. Beliefs are
> found to self-propagate by some surprising means, such as inducing
> evangelism, by manipulating imitation rates, by intimidating adherents of
> alternative ideas into silence, by refutation resistance, and by deterring
> dropouts. Even fairly subtle differences in the transmissivity,
receptivity,
>
> and longevity of ideas may compound into large and intense ideological
> movements. Examples are found in religious warfare, Nazism, terrorism, US
> unilateralism, and the ideologies behind the September 11, 2001 event. The
> effect of thought contagions on the proliferation and possible use of
> nuclear
> weapons is also discussed. The paper concludes that thought contagion
> analysis offers important new insights into the dynamics of mass conflict,
> as
> well as potential strategies in reducing mass conflict.
>
> Section Headings:
> Introduction
> Imitation, Intimidation, and Inculcation
> The Nazi Thought Contagion
> Religious Extremism
> The Arab Israeli Conflict
> The 11th September Event
> Nuclear Weapons Proliferation
> Notes
> References
> Acknowledgement
>
>
> From _Thought Contagion News_ of October 14, 2002:
> "Replicating Fundamentalist Christian beliefs in the End Times affect
> United States policy toward the United Nations and Israel. Contagious
ideas
> of afterlife glory for Islamic martyrs contribute to horrific attacks
> around the world. Multiplying concepts of a divinely promised land in
Israel
>
> contribute to violence against Arabs. Epidemics of anti-Semitic ideas
cause
> vast atrocities. An evolutionary arms race of female sexual repression
leads
>
> to severe genital mutilation and male desperation. An evolutionary arms
race
>
> in weapons of war begets nuclear proliferation. The evolutionary contagion
> of
> ideas affects world security in profound ways. With interest raised by
> previous analyses of Nazism and other violent movements, the Swedish
Defence
>
> Research Agency invited me to conduct a seminar on thought contagion
> analysis
> at their headquarters in Stockholm on September 5 and 6 of 2002. The
two-day
>
> event included a lecture and paper titled Thought Contagion in the
Dynamics
> of Mass Conflict, which is now online at
> http://www.thoughtcontagion.com/conflict.htm."
>
>
> --Aaron Lynch
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