Re: virus: Memes and Genes

Dave Pape (davepape@dial.pipex.com)
Wed, 15 Jan 1997 23:59:03 GMT

At 13:44 15/01/97 GMT, Flaps wrote:
>> Dave pape wrote
>
>
>> I have a genetic life, involving my genetic profile and how the being which
>> that specifies interacts with other genetic organisms. I also have a memetic
>> life, in that I'm a memetic entity, and the memes which give rise to me
>> interact with other (people's) memes, changing me, changing them...
>>
>> Question: Are there many memes which don't help their hosts genetically,
>> which still thrive in the meme pool?
>>
>
>I am not quite sure what you are getting at...

It's another of my "lost faith in the idea of my own free will" things.

I'm thinking, are there any succesful memes out there that persist although
deleterious to the genes of the people that host them? If the proportion is
low, then I'm going to have to start thinking about mechanisms for how genes
control memes.

Dave Pape
===============================================================================
The memetic equivalent of a G3 bullpup-design assault rifle blowing a full
clip at my opponent. (Alex Williams 1996)

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