virus: CoV Memetics: Mysticism of the 90's
David Rosdeitcher (76473.3041@compuserve.com)
11 Feb 97 14:41:45 EST
Mysticism is a disease of consciousness that blocks the mind's ability to
integrate reality. Memetics, as studied at CoV, is an organized form of
mysticism that is typical of modern cults and religions. 4 symptoms of such
organized mysticism that are exemplified by CoV are:
1. Pseudo-scientific doctrine.
2. Drug-like delusions
3. Modern version of Plato's philosophy
4. Inability to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials
Memetics, as studied in CoV, is not science. Science, unlike CoV memetics,
assumes that 1)there is an external reality of which to study, 2)a competency of
the scientist(s) to study it, and 3)that which is studied has a nature to be
understood. CoV memetics is built upon the assumption that memes-units of
information that get copied and transmitted to other minds-control individuals
and that individuals are simply vehicles for a memetic evolutionary process.
This implies that 1)any so called "external reality" is a construct of language
and not objectively real, 2) individuals, being mere vehicles for memetic
evolution, are not competent to understand anything, and 3)that nothing has a
specific identity. While memetics, the study of the spread of memes, can be
scientific, in the case of CoV it is not.
Such so-called study, in which people themselves are part of the
"experiment" in which memes are competing for "survival", leads to drug-like
delusions, similar to other experiments in which the scientist himself is part
of the experiment, like in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". Once you enter the Mr.
Hyde state of believing you are just a construct of memes, all scientific
objectivity breaks down because most people, because of a disease of mysticism
already in their minds, have no way of determining whether they are in
"experiment space" or "objective space". Mystical structures already within the
mind are explained below:
Plato was a philosopher in ancient Greece during the 4th century BC and
developed a system of false ideas which support the idea system of CoV memetics.
(This is clear when looking at Dave P.'s posts) This idea system is as follows:
1. There is a higher reality than the one we perceive. CoV memetics version:
there are more advanced memes than the ones you have/are now, so what you see is
not valid or believable.
2. You, the individual are not competent to know reality and you need a higher
authority to guide you. CoV memetics version: You can't know anything through
your current memetic structure, so follow the "leader" who will take you to a
higher level (Level 3)
3. You are not important and you should sacrifice yourself to a higher cause.
Memetics version: Don't hang on to your current beliefs, submit to a "belief
crisis" in which dominant memes will take over for your own good.
4. A strong centralized State is more important than individuals since it is a
"higher order". Memetics version: A community's collective memes are more
important than a lone individual's memes since they are more evolved. Community
takes precedence over the individual.
People are suckered into the CoV structure, even if not completely
indoctrinated with the above ideology, because of a common disorder of the brain
to not make distinctions between essentials and non-essentials. This disorder is
exemplified by Tim Rhodes, who responded to my last big post, entitled
"Objectivism vs. Astrology in Cyberspace".
The main point of my article was that during the coming cyberrevolution,
the world will become more decentralized and would require more and more people
to use critical independent thinking, as opposed to mindless following of
authority. In such a scenario, I contended, objectivism, which is a philosophy
geared toward critical independent thinking, would gain more popularity, than,
say astrology, which has little to do with critical independent thinking. Tim
responded by stating that astrology has validity since he has seen how accurate
it is when birth charts describe people's personalities. Being a former amateur
astrologer myself, I can agree with Tim. But this had nothing to do with my main
point which was the change from an authority following mode to a rational
thinking mode that would accompany a change from centralization to
decentralization throughout society. Such lack of clarity about essentials and
non-essential is how CoV gets and keeps its "memebers".
Here is how CoV works off people's inability to know what's essential and
what is not essential: Basically, someone makes an assertion (thesis). Another
person takes that assertion and takes a meme within that assertion and distorts
that meme out of context and sends the original statement off on a tangent. This
confuses the person who is not "hip to what's going on" (ie. new people) and
this confused person enters a "belief crisis" and then becomes susceptible to
manipulation from "higher authorities". All because of an inability to determine
essentials from non-essentials. This works well because language is not so much
a tool of communication, but a tool of thinking. This newly confused person,
especially if new, is "fresh meat" for new meme usage and the CoV hoax
continues.
I am not here to rescue anyone since that cannot be done, as most people
here have already made investments in CoV. But there is valuable information
here that I have acquired and will continue to acquire that has to do with
manipulation through mysticism. We'll see who wins this war. -David Rosdeitcher