Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA18552 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 2 Apr 2001 15:07:12 +0100 Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745D49@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: The Demise of a Meme Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 15:03:21 +0100 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
<People could very well gain immensely from reading fiction. Would
the
> fiction haters pull the rug from under the fiction lovers feet because the
>
> stories aren't real, regardless if there's a moral to the story? Fairy
> tales
> are chock full of entities which never existed, yet children seem to have
> gained something, if nothing more than amusement, from reading these
> traditional stories. If people can gain from practicing religion, more
> power
> to them.>
>
Of course people can gain from fiction- I wouldn't spend much of my
professional time studying fiction if I didn't think so. I think the
difference, and danger, comes from people trying to persuade themselves and
others that the fictions they may benefit from are factual rather than
fictional, and therefore the basis for making moral judgements on themselves
and others, and for organising society. There are all sorts of reasons why
this could be dangerous, and indeed has been historically (and continues to
be so all over the world).
<Also, how schorlarly or objective could someone be about the
scientific
> study of religion if they have nothing more than an axe to grind or a
> predispotion to bash the adherents? I dislike having religionists shove
> their doctrines down my throat or trying to inject school science
> curricula
> with their metaphysical baggage, but I also have reservations about people
>
> being forcefully converted to atheism by proselytes. It seems the virus
> hunters have a mandate to stamp out the scourge of religion.>
>
Fair point, well made... but I like axes all the same:-)
Vincent
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This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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