Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA07341 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 22 Nov 2000 13:06:10 GMT Subject: RE: religion/spirituality Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 08:02:33 -0500 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20001122130101.AAA10234@camailp.harvard.edu@[204.96.32.118]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Gatherer, D. (Derek) --
>Judaism has been
>around for several millenia (and 2.5 millenia in its modern form). Surely,
>if the viral model really applies to religions, somewhere in that vast time
>span the requisite change would have taken place?
Assuming correlates between virology and culture, why do we then have to
demand mutation? Just because we see certain things in culture 'change'
rapidly, mostly among teenage fashions and romantic interests, why are we
thinking everything in culture must breakneck at the same rate?
In many ways, judaism has _built-in_ barriers to mutation- this is
analogous to preventing change in the nutrient mix of a virus, and, if
the environment don't change, the organism don't change.
I don't see any reason to remove judaism, or religion in general, based
upon judaism's example, from the realm of mind viruses.
- Wade
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