Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA14128 (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 22:44:59 GMT X-Originating-IP: [137.110.248.206] From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Scientology Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 14:40:36 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <LAW2-F144qbagyMr74R0000642b@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 21 Jan 2002 22:40:37.0309 (UTC) FILETIME=[A54846D0:01C1A2CC] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>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.
>
I think any tool we use causes us to shape ourselves to fit the tool in some
way. Cars, trains and planes have led us to become obese (as a group, not
as individuals. We also have more marathon runners now than ever before.)
and more susceptible to diabetes. Books and newspapers have affected both
our eyes and our brains. Radio and television have introduced us to
multitasking. I used to do my homework while listening to various programs.
So civilization has increased some of our natural capabilities and
decreased others. More important, it has made us capable (through our
machines) of seeing and thus understanding (to some degree) things that were
previously too small or too far away to see before. We also have millions
more frequencies of sound, light and other forms of energy to play with.
This has to have shaped, in many ways, how we perceive and think about the
universe we live in. It has also made available to us ideas of people like
Dawkins and Hawking who would previously only have affected a small circle
of friends.
All of these things have influences on both the transmitter and receiver of
ideas, as well as the shape of the ideas themselves. What we believe about
our universe changes in some way almost daily as new discoveries are made in
every area of science. Newton's concept of gravity gave way to Einstein's
and modern thinkers are changing that with quantum mechanics. We are both
more and less sure of the shape of the universe we live in than we were
before we became civilized. Our belief system has just become more science
based than faith based, although much of what we believe that we can't see
has to be taken on faith backed up by observations of things we can't
directly experience.
But I don't believe it's the idea that becomes the puppet master. It's the
person who sees a way to use an idea for that purpose who becomes the puppet
master. The men who used fear of God to make people accept ungodly ideas is
the villain, not the ideas themselves. They use ignorance and fear to drive
out ideas that might counter what they preach. They convince people to
accept ideas that fly in the face of what their senses tell them by selling
the idea that faith is more real than what your eyes can see. That heaven
is a better goal to strive for than a life of peace and harmony with one's
neighbors. This is the work of men, not ideas. Ideas are just the tools
they use.
Grant
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