RE: Absolutist memes

From: Paul (paul@dna.ie)
Date: Fri 29 Oct 2004 - 20:32:52 GMT

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    -----Original Message----- From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Keo Ormsby Sent: 29 October 2004 21:04 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Absolutist memes

    [snip]

    >The point I want to make, is that this interpretation does not say
    anything >about whether a population with absolutist memes will have a better >survival rate than another with rationalistic memes, or vice versa. It >might, but it would be a side effect. Perhaps one can suppose that fear >memes in general populate a special ancestral (i.e. genetic) place in our >psychology, that make them important for biological survival. That would >account for Keith's keen observation that absolutist memes appear in >stressed/worried populations, but I do not think it is necessary to assign >a biologically relevant selective pressure, or a specialized inherited >psychological process to each and every kind of meme (absolutist, >rationalistic, religious, etc.) It sounds a little phrenological to me.

    This is really getting interesting. Ruling out the possibility of a genetic biological relevance on selective pressure or a specialised inherited psychological process of memes with regards to memes appearing in a stressed/worried population; what process in your view would have to take place in order for the absolutist memes to establish an ESS?

    Paul

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