Re: sex and the single meme

From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@cogeco.ca)
Date: Sun Jan 20 2002 - 22:07:10 GMT

  • Next message: Ray Recchia: "Re: Sensory and sensibility"

    Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA10575 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sun, 20 Jan 2002 22:09:49 GMT
    Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020120165223.0351a2e0@pop.cogeco.ca>
    X-Sender: hkhenson@pop.cogeco.ca
    X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1
    Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 17:07:10 -0500
    To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca>
    Subject: Re: sex and the single meme
    In-Reply-To: <p04320401b8702ef6d784@[192.168.2.3]>
    References: <5.1.0.14.0.20020120024018.02c53cc0@pop.cogeco.ca> <200201181715.g0IHFIB00244@terri.harvard.edu> <200201181715.g0IHFIB00244@terri.harvard.edu> <5.1.0.14.0.20020120024018.02c53cc0@pop.cogeco.ca>
    Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
    Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk
    Precedence: bulk
    Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    

    At 04:27 AM 20/01/02 -0500, "Francesca S. Alcorn" <unicorn@greenepa.net>
      wrote:
    >Keith said:
    >
    >>As an example of mixing elements, I have been stirring evolutionary
    >>psychology into memetics to answer the question of why some memes--lethal
    >>to genes or individuals--are contagious.
    >
    >Have you read "The Botany of Desire?" The author says that certain plants
    >have evolved to exploit human preferences, and use humans to enhance their
    >reproduction - that it doesn't make sense for a plant like marijuana to
    >devote it's resources to making chemicals which mimic human
    >neurotransmitters unless there is a payoff for the plant. He also talks
    >about animal intoxication.

    It certainly seems to be the case that plants evolved in ways to exploit
    animals to spread their seeds and that a lot of them evolved toxic
    chemicals to keep from being eaten--mostly by insects. I suspect it is
    more likely that some of the toxins happen to have had rewarding effects on
    humans.

    >The director who made "The Gods Must Be Crazy" (sorry, can't remember his
    >name)

    Jamie Uys (pronounced, I think, ace)

    > also made a movie about animal behavior, and showed footage of several
    > African animals drunk on the fermented fruit of the morula tree. He said
    > that animals returned to the trees the same time every year to eat the fruit.
    >
    >I have been trying to catch up on some of the backlogged posts, and came
    >across your thread about spoiled pathways. :)
    >
    >My guess is that it has to do with powerlessness. Many of these effects
    >are also present when the trauma is experienced by an adult as well,
    >although they may not be as profound.
    >
    >http://www.childtrauma.org/trau_CAMI.htm
    >
    >At the end of this article they refer to "focused therapeutic experiences"
    >which I have also heard called "corrective emotional experiences" to heal
    >the brain. I think people are seeking out corrective emotional
    >experiences when they join cults or gangs - trying to regain for
    >themselves a sense of power through affiliation/self-image
    >enhancement. The meme propagates by exploiting this drive for
    >self-healing - in much the way that therapy and self-help books also
    >exploit it.

    People argue that taking street drugs is self medication as well. What you
    say is another way to look at it, but the damage to a person's life done by
    cults is often as extensive as that done by a heavy drug habit.

    Keith Henson

    ===============================================================
    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



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Jan 20 2002 - 22:19:01 GMT