Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id VAA14048 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 21 Jan 2002 21:59:34 GMT Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020121162849.03230e68@localhost> X-Sender: jakemaier/pop.abs.adelphia.net@localhost X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 16:53:21 -0500 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Joachim Maier <jakemaier@adelphia.net> Subject: Re: Scientology In-Reply-To: <F92AaTzvb5YI9IJsaJb00024fa6@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Scott, I do not question at all the possibility that memes, ideas, or
whatever, can influence people. I'm influenced by viewing a stand of old
growth trees very substantially (I'm a forester), and I would be foolish to
doubt that ideas can influence people.
What I doubt is that the meme, or old growth stand, or whatevery, wants to
influence me.
I'm reading at the moment Howard Bloom's The Lucifer Principle, and liked
it a lot, for the first 100 pages or so. Now I see that he talks about a
superorganism when he talks about nations, and the meme is the brain of
these organisms. And the meme reward people who follow it.
I fear that comes very close to fascist language, Volkskörper, Volksgeist.
(BTW I was appalled by his treatment of the Islam question. But that's a
different topic)
Joachim
>>Scott Chase wrote
>It's possible that the relationship between people and ideas is a two-way
>street. People can influence ideas and ideas can influence people. There
>are times when a particular idea can become a puppetmaster, but OTOH
>people can also hold the reins on ideas or actively mold them instead of
>solely being passively molded by the ideas.
>
>I think its a good idea to use the word idea.
>
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