RE: virus: Have a Coke and a Smile!

Richard Brodie (richard@brodietech.com)
Thu, 4 Mar 1999 16:47:49 -0800

Jake wrote:

<<Faith is exempting in principle some representation(s) from rational
criticism. ...It is my
assumption which has survived a significant amount of rational criticism, that
beyond myself faith is probably at best a useless thing, and at worst intellectually crippling and thus leading to many more evils. ... Give me an example of what the representation is, and why it would be good to
not hold it open *even*in*principle* to rational criticism.>>

The problem is with your metaprogram of "rational criticism." I think you are correct that, within that metaprogram, there is no such thing as "good" faith. The trouble is, there are plenty of good things that can be accomplished under more usual metaprograms (leaving aside for a moment the ability to ascend to Level 3 and switch metaprograms on the fly).

I think the concept of "self-fulfilling prophecy" might be the closest I could get to something that would be meaningful to you with your worldview and still have value. Faith can move mountains, in other words.

Richard Brodie richard@brodietech.com http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/ Author, "Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme" http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/votm.htm Free newsletter! Visit Meme Central at
http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/meme.htm