Re: RE[3]: virus: Hosts

ken sartor (sartor@visidyne.com)
Tue, 15 Oct 1996 15:30:16 -0500


At 05:13 AM 10/15/96 +0000, Hakeeb A. Nandalal wrote:
>Lior Golgher wrote :-
>
>> We should pay more attention to the use of terms like "a genetic
>> basis operating in meme selection", "a statistical probability of
>> someone being born with a mind that would find theism acceptable"
>> and most-radical "mental "uncertainty" chip in our heads". With
>> no intention to insult anyone, such terms are no more than a
>> modern variation of age-old determinism.
>>

>Point taken and I agree completely. My "mental chip" metaphor was never
>meant to be literal or to imply that there were specific genes which
>were responsible for a person being "God meme" receptive or not. I was
>attempting to put a readily understandable metaphor to explain my
>observation that there were no particular attributes displayed by
>atheists but were lacking in theists apart from their difference in the
>belief in a God.

I don't know why we would throw away the idea of a "faith" gene -
lots of our predispositions certainly have genetic components.
Complex behaviors like sexual preference have genetic components -
perhaps being an atheist is like being a homosexual, just some
minority choice we make in how we live our lives (why it may even
cause us to be discriminated against). The choice can
certainly be affected by our environment, but perhaps the strongest
component is genetic... (?)

ken