Re: virus: a gene/meme type theory

maggs (c680910@showme.missouri.edu)
Sun, 17 Jan 1999 19:44:20 -0600 (CST)

The intellectually driven person is aware of what he\she wants from the physical world and is selective about type of involvement.

Spread of genes is not necessary for the spread of memes.

Maggs
c680910@showme.missouri.edu
"If someone says"I don't know if there's a hand here" he might be told "Look closer"- This possibility of satisfying oneself is part of the language game. Is one of its essential features."

On Fri, 15 Jan 1999, N CASH wrote:

> Your discussion of memes and culture is a fascinating one. Tell me, what
> do you think about the selfish-meme/selfish-gene latching onto character
> traits in individuals? What I mean is, could it be said that some
> people, for whatever reason, are more likely to be "procreators" of
> memes and by the same measure, uninterested or not likely to be
> procreators of genes. Can we find any examples of meme-spreader's on a
> huge scale who have, for social or psychological or even physiological
> reasons, have been poor gene procreators. Hitler, for example... Can we
> link any specific qualities in an individual that says they are more
> likely to be one and not the other, or proportionately, more of one and
> less of the other? Are the qualities which make an exceptional
> meme-spreader somehow non-conducive to gene-spreading? Is the
> intellectually driven person unlikely to engage so much in the physical
> world? I am posing questions here, not giving a whole theory. Would be
> glad to hear your ideas.
>
> NC
>
> --
> "It may, afterall, be the bad habit of creative talents to invest
> themselves in pathological extremes that yield remarkable insights but
> no durable way of life for those who cannot translate their psychic
> wounds into significant art or thought." Theodore Roszak
>