Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id BAA02155 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 28 Jan 2002 01:04:29 GMT From: <AaronLynch@aol.com> Message-ID: <4c.5985911.2985fc99@aol.com> Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 20:00:09 EST Subject: Re: Selfish meme? To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 113 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
In a message dated 1/26/2002 5:43:27 PM Central Standard Time, Scott Chase
<ecphoric@hotmail.com> writes:
> >From: <AaronLynch@aol.com>
> >Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> >To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> >Subject: Re: Selfish meme?
> >Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 14:49:37 EST
> >
> >In a message dated 1/25/2002 5:12:21 PM Central Standard Time, Keith
Henson
> ><hkhenson@cogeco.ca> writes:
> > > Cults are a manifestation of memes, often the really pathological
cases
> > > that demonstrate memes clearly at odds with genes. I noticed this
> > > morning that one of the Enron people who
> > > had been freaking out over their hiding
> > > loses in partnerships but had made millions when he bailed out of
Enron
> > > committed suicide. It is perhaps appropriate that Enron is analyzed
as
> > > a cult here: http://www.projo.com/report/html/06916181.htm
> > >
> > > Keith Henson
> >
> > Interesting article, Keith. Thanks for posting it. There
> > does indeed seem to be a cultish aspect to many
> > corporations. And a corporate aspect to many
> > cults.
> >
> Corporations have mission statements. I'm not sure how cultish mission
> statements are. Brodie talks about mission statements in his _Virus of the
> Mind_ book in a chapter called "Designer Viruses (How to Start a Cult)".
But
>
> who actually ever reads mission statements, unless they happen to be
> plastered on the wall in bold letters.
Having a mission statement is probably not itself sufficient to cause
seriously cultish aspects to a corporation. The idea that a company must
write up some idealized mission statement may have self-replicating features,
though: the idea is imparted to all sorts of people who go on to establish
new corporations. I imagine that the employees of more cultish corporations
are more heavily encouraged to read the mission statements, even if the
statements reflect less the thoughts of senior management than what senior
management wants people to think they think. For instance, if the Enron
mission statement emphasizes "integrity," then we cannot really say that
corrupt senior management was attempting to replicate their own values in
this regard into subordinate employees. They may, however, have inherited a
mission statement from earlier more honest senior executives.
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