Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA09393 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 11 Jan 2002 04:37:48 GMT X-Authentication-Warning: cheetah.nor.com.au: Host 021.analog.ppp.lismore.dataheart.net [202.147.132.21] claimed to be green-machine Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.20020111152826.0070fb90@pophost.nor.com.au> X-Sender: jeremyb@pophost.nor.com.au X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 15:28:26 +1100 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Jeremy Bradley <jeremyb@nor.com.au> Subject: Re: playing at suicide In-Reply-To: <200201101414.g0AEEsS01834@sherri.harvard.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 09:14 AM 10/01/02 -0500, you wrote:
>On 01/10/02 02:26, Philip Jonkers said this-
>Is it religion that is ingrained, or the mechanisms that allow religion
>to flourish? I suspect the latter, and that religion has endured only
>because it is a facile set of conditions to set up and maintain.
>
There is a narratological theory that in the early development of Homo
(SP), at a time of mass extinction, our 'family' survived because of the
high percentage of grandparents (and I'm not just saying this 'cos I am
one). The grannies were useful because they had knowledge, could process
foods that may have been toxic in their natural form and they could look
after children etc..
This last point interests me, children ask questions - why, why, why (and I
think that they always did). More than average mammal curiosity would seem
to be one of our distinguishing features. My observation is that when busy,
or the adult doesn't know the answer, answers may be made up on the spot.
I suggest that answers to such questions as "why are we here" etc. were
invented so as to comply with existing social criteria. We thus became, not
Homo sapiens (wise man), but Homo nerans (story telling man).
Religion, or spiritual awareness, appears to be culturally specific, but
universal. Our mob - the One Godders - derive our notions of the powerful
God looking over us all like a shepherd, from nomadic herders.
Over many generations these answers would have been refined into a "social
glue" or a "facile set of conditions". Nevertheless they became truths.
I think that we get our formative memes from the fundamental stories. In
the case of the West, it is easy to see that we have derived our notions of
Truth, Justice and the usanian way of life (no, not from Superman) from the
Old Testament God. Though I must add that SM was a 'might-is-right' god
clone and so was John Wayne.
Conflict then arises when one group claims exclusive access to Truth. War
is the result of ignorance and intolerance. What we (and I mean WE) have to
do is generate an acceptance for diversity of spirituality, intelligence
and behaviour.
Three cheers for diversity.
Jeremy
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