RE: The Status of Memetics as a Science

From: Lawrence DeBivort (debivort@umd5.umd.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 25 2001 - 16:31:54 BST

  • Next message: Lawrence DeBivort: "RE: The Status of Memetics as a Science" 

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From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: The Status of Memetics as a Science
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 11:31:54 -0400
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    I've just been reading a bunch of books about the Albigensian/Cathar/Occitan
    crusade and inquisition. The things that strike me repeatedly are 1) how
    socially inoffensive the Cathars were, 2) how convinced the inquisitors were
    that they were saving the souls of the heretics whether through recantation
    or execution, and 3) how powerless the local political leadership was to
    protect its Cathar population.

    Cathar beliefs lasted well after the crusades that nominally wiped out
    Catharism, and some belief that they continued to persist even after the
    inquisition. The nature of Cathar organization makes it impossible to
    confirm that they were eradicated, particularly as there were Cathar
    'chapters' outside the Langue d'Oc area. It is an intriguing organization,
    with great implications for memetic distribution and persistence. A
    romantic might even be tempted to speculate that Cathar descendancy exists
    today.

    - Lawrence

    -----Original Message-----
    From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
    Of Vincent Campbell
    Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 9:36 AM
    To: 'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'
    Subject: RE: The Status of Memetics as a Science

            <Without religion you wouldn't have Bach's music.>

            I don't think Bach makes up for the Inquisition.

            Vincent

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