Re: Me against the meme

From: Kenneth Van Oost (kennethvanoost@belgacom.net)
Date: Sun 13 Nov 2005 - 10:40:20 GMT

  • Next message: Derek Gatherer: "Re: Me against the meme"

    ----- Original Message ----- From: Scott Chase <osteopilus@yahoo.com>
    > This species self-determination as you present it
    > sounds like a good thing for the most part, but be
    > careful for it can have a dark side. Your allusion to
    > the best genes in the last sentence verges dangerously
    > close to eugenics with its quasi-scientific claptraps
    > and ethical pitfalls.

    << Yes, I understand your concern, but the technologies that made it possible for us to change the world, makes it also possible that we change ourselves for the better. The technologies showed us how to change the ways we moved, but nowadays we can change our body and mind and soul in the directions we want. For the first time in our history, helped therby by science, we master our future. But, yes, would be be able to master the knowledge we gather for our advantage !? Moreover, why should we strive to change our ways of life, of our being and of our thinking !?

    We know all that intellectual apathy, immorality and criminal behaviour aren 't heritable. Most kids do possess all the same potentials like their folks. We can develop their inborn qualities if only we mean bussiness. We have all the power of science at our disposal and there are still people who want to use it altruistic. Modern civilation/ society didn 't kill all bits of the intellectual culture/ of moral courage; virtue and daring. There is still a fire burning !! But the new ways of behaviour, of being, of thinking require the trans- formation of modern life, it ain 't possible without a physical and mental revolution. It ain 't keen to be convinced about a kind of revolution and having the necessary scientific back-up to push thru' changes.

    What is necessary, and above all, needed, is a change in the ways we think. We neglected over the years the qualitive aspect of things, quantity was the new slogan. Having thoughts and memes were more important of the contents of those thoughts and memes. It was more easier to study quantive motives than to understand why one found something beautiful and another not.

    It is hard to see eugenics not as the doctrine that dominated our thinking for the last decades, we still believe in the general negative aspects where I see a more positive qualitive need. That eugenics in the hands of the few will lead to abuse, claptraps and pitfalls...no doubt about it ! So we need a revolution on the more individual forum, convincing people that it is necessary to change for the better of themselves, for their kids and for the future generations. I can 't understand why someone should choose NOT to use the avaible technology to avoid a disabled kid or to be sick in the near future of some cancer if eugenics can give them a solution !? Yes, it is all about the mind and how we think about these things. That society, politican and religious aspects blind and will blind the ways, I don 't doubt it, but it is, in the memetical contents and with the memetical concept in hand that we can and will convince people to follow. Naive !? Idealistic !? Ideological !? Self- deceptive !? Utopic !? Maybe, one and all together, but I am an optimist !! It is me against the meme....

    Regards,

    Kenneth

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