From: Richard Brodie (richard@brodietech.com)
Date: Thu 15 May 2003 - 15:14:09 GMT
Keith wrote:
<<My recent arguments about natural selection for memetic mechanisms that
lead humans to wars in tight economic times didn't generate much
comment. QED it must be mainstream. :-)>>
I've been thinking about it and thought it was very interesting, so I
naturally didn't reply. :)
<<The connection to memetics is that under early privation conditions memes
that dehumanize other tribes do well spreading and motivating a tribe to
make war against another tribe. There is probably suppression of rational
thought involved in these mechanisms because (on average) your genes do
better win *or lose* and rational thoughts would certainly get in the way
of doing the right thing for your genes if "the right thing" meant almost
certain death. (I.e., attacking a stronger tribe.)
Please take a careful look at the logic here. I think it is airtight and
the conclusion is just stunning.>>
Given that the best game-theoretic strategy is to go all-out win or lose,
whatever unites and aligns the people will aid survival. If these UT memes
trigger strong emotion that paves the way for action, it all makes sense.
<<Fortunately we don't see this gene-selected psychological mechanism turned
on in the western countries very often because (due to low birth rates) we
don't see a lot of declining income per capita. But the Saudis have seen
per capita income fall from 28k per person to 7k in the past
generation. The rest of the Islamic world is not doing a much better.>>
So the best way to wage the war on terrorism is to aid foreign economies?
Richard Brodie
www.memecentral.com
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