RE: draft abstract Sex, Drugs and Cults

From: Richard Brodie (richard@brodietech.com)
Date: Fri Feb 15 2002 - 19:23:34 GMT

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From: "Richard Brodie" <richard@brodietech.com>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: draft abstract Sex, Drugs and Cults
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 11:23:34 -0800
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    Keith wrote:

    <<A whole class of memes
    (cults, religions) have no obvious replication drivers.>>

    I'm glad to see you're nearing completion of your paper. Some feedback: I
    don't think a cult or a religion is usefully considered just one meme
    (Dawkins and Brodie called them mind viruses), but even waving hands over
    the definitional morass, isn't evangelism an "obvious replication driver"?

    <<People may become irresponsible on
    either cults or drugs resulting in severe damage to reproductive
    potential.>>

    Education has also been shown to be correlated with low reproductive rates.

    <<Evolutionary psychology answers the question of why human are susceptible
    to memes that do them and/or their potential for reproductive success
    damage. Psychological traits of capture-bonding and attention rewards that
    make us vulnerable evolved for other functions. Cults and drugs both take
    advantage of the same vital motivational reward pathway. Cults sometimes
    use capture-bonding. Proposals for modeling are presented.>>

    Right on!

    Richard Brodie
    www.memecentral.com

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