Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19990304113424.00ca45dc@popmail.mcs.net>
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 11:34:24 -0600
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
From: Aaron Lynch <aaron@mcs.net>
Subject: Re: FW: "Retarding the Progress" - A Call for Specifics
In-Reply-To: <2CDFE2C8F598D21197C800C04F911B200CAEB7@DELTA.newhouse.akzo
At 02:55 PM 3/3/99 +0100, Derek Gatherer wrote:
>> Derek:
>> Well, if you insist on talking about caricatures, let's get into the
>> caricature you seem to have of me. That is, that I am religiously
>> motivated. It seems to be a main plank of your defence against me.
>> What a pity it's false.
For the record, let me say that the main plank of my defense is the
admonition to carefully read my work for what it actually says, rather than
what it has been alleged to say. My critique characterizes your 1998b paper
as continuing and/or intensifying *both* your opposition to "millitant
atheism" and to "mind virology," but also addresses several specific
arguments you made. It is futile, however, to continue the argument
indefinitly if we cannot even agree on what each other has just said, let
alone said in books and papers. (Perhaps it's another information
"transmission" problem, as Mark says.)
In fairness, I invite anyone interested to read your papers to see what
they actually say on religion, "mind virology," and other matters, and if
that differs from what I allege those papers to say.
My effort to look for some common ground between "internalists" and
"externalists" through a generalization of memetic transition diagrams was
perhaps ill timed. I was feeling especially optimistic after recently
finding some agreements with you on the Hutterites. But perhaps we can take
it up again another time, after letting the topic cool for a bit.
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