Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id XAA19685 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 14 Sep 2000 23:03:07 +0100 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 15:00:00 -0700 From: "Scott Chase" <hemidactylus@my-Deja.com> Message-ID: <EDBBDHLKPOIBDAAA@my-deja.com> X-Sent-Mail: off X-Mailer: MailCity Service Subject: Re: The problem with the belief that one is enlightened X-Sender-Ip: 209.240.200.117 Organization: My Deja Email (http://www.my-deja.com:80) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Language: en Content-Length: 1994 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
--On Thu, 14 Sep 2000 00:25:27 Joe E. Dees wrote: > The problem with the belief that one is enlightened, i.e. that one >understands all, or at least the basic underpinnings of all, at the >fundamental level, is that such people tend to become >impermeable to subsequent learning by virtue of their erroneous >belief that they already know or understand it all. It is an excellent >defensive memeplex device, as it acts to foreclose the possibility >that the "enlightened one" will seriously consider facts or >perspectives that might invalidate or obviate their present grok-level, >or even indeed offer the possibility that it might benefit from >evolutionary elaboration in the light of subsequently discovered >facts or refined understandings. If you already think that you know >or understand it all, the attempt to learn more becomes a useless >exercise. > This could be a critique which cuts both ways, both against mysticism and against science. What happens when a healthy respect for a scientific perspective becomes elevated into the realm of scientism? Critical views yield to crystallization and the possibility of stagnation into dogma. What awakens one from their dogmatic slumber? Will they actively search for the elixir?
Or what happens when followers of a certain scientific perspective apotheosize their favorite author(s) into an exalted and uncriticizable position as the all-knowing one(s)? Or on another possible vector what happens when schisms develop over how the sacred texts shall be interpreted?;-)
Yes, this is partly in jest, but there's a kernel of truth in there somewhere. Darwiniana and Dawkins-mania do abound. > >BTW, Dawkins coined the word 'meme'; does anyone know who >coined the word 'memeplex'? > > I'm still stuck back at the previous fin de siecle and on the mneme. I'll need to catch up with the times a little.
Scott
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