Re: virus: Memetic evolution

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. (jwt@dana.ucc.nau.edu)
Mon, 18 Mar 1996 23:26:43 -0700 (MST)


On Mon, 18 Mar 1996, James T. Martin wrote:

> Consciousness separable from the brain/body? In human terms it seems to be
> out of the question - are you talking about a soul? Then again, an extension
> of our evolutions is reflected in our technology. If Artificial Intelligence
> (AI) reaches it's ultimate development, then your question might be answered
> in the affirmative. Would that be nature though?

I agree that technology could play a significant role here.

One line of thought which seems popular in memetics is that human
evolution is now taking place _more_ on the level of
memes/thoughts/ideas/etc than it is on the level of biology. To me, this
concept implies that human beings are _identifying themselves_ more
strongly with their "minds" than they are with their "bodies". I was
curious as to whether this identification is strong enough to imply that
the mind and the body are distinct and separable entities.

I myself, despite an atheistic world-view, lean toward thinking that the
two _are_ ultimately separable. But that's just me. :)

Thanks for the input.

--Jay

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