Re: virus: Angelica de Meme
sean laraway (sean.laraway@wmich.edu)
Mon, 31 Mar 1997 02:00:07 -0500
>On Sun, 30 Mar 1997, Tadeusz Niwinski wrote:
>
>> Tony wrote:
>> > Let me try to sumarize with a more memetically
>> >orientated analysis (since we are all lucky enough to now be
>> >infected with this powerful mind tool.) We are meme ecologies and
>> >as meme ecologies we can be infected with memes that have a drag
>> >effect on our goal achieving behaviour. Memes infect us against
>> >"our better judgement". This we can turn to our advantage by
>> >deliberately exposing ourselves to memes we want to "identify
>> >with".
>>
>> No offense intended. How does it sound with angels instead of memes?
>>
>> Let me try to suggest a more spiritually orientated analysis (since we are
>> all lucky enough to understand spirituality -- this powerful mind tool.) We
>> have souls and as spiritual beings we can invite angels that have a drag
>> effect on our goal achieving behaviour. Angels help us against "our better
>> judgement". This we can turn to our advantage by deliberately exposing
>> ourselves to angels we want to "identify with".
>
>Interesting. Are you saying that the spiritual/religious traditions of
>angels vs. demons are in fact encrypted analogies for this memetic process
>that have arisen as a byproduct of the selection pressures of those very
>same memetic processes on thier host culture?
>
>-Prof. Tim
>
this seems a reasonable interpretation. demonic/angelic attributes were
(are!) frequently applied to human behavior. people were/are supposed to
behave in "angelic" (good, acceptable) ways (e.g., show strength, faith,
worship, obedience). people who engaged in "demonic" (evil, unacceptable)
behavior were punished in some way, often to "drive the demons out."
perhaps this can be interpreted as an instance of memetic selection. The
stronger meme-complex (e.g., catholic church during the Inquisition)
overpowers the weaker meme (any dissent, real or imagined). Memes related
to "good" behavior, such as going to confession, are nourished by the
dominant meme-complex while memes related to "bad" actions, such as
heretical opinions, are driven to extinction. In many cases, the whole
ecological system (i.e., the person) is destroyed. Alot of this seems
related to the four priciples stuff: controlling rewards/punishment (e.g.,
who lives or dies); association (e.g., don't associate with witches);
information (e.g., God speaks to Us only); control of thoughts/language
(e.g., don't say God's name).
--sean
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***sean.laraway@wmich.edu***
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"in order to climb into the depths one does not need to travel very far;
no, for that you do not need to abandon your immediate and accustomed
environment."
--ludwig wittgenstein
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