Re: virus: Rationality

Alex Williams (thantos@decatl.alf.dec.com)
Thu, 27 Feb 1997 10:12:08 -0500 (EST)


> Fair enough. So can any behaviour be said to be irrational, or is it
> always relative and contextual? If the former, can you provide an example?

How about both? All behaviours are inherently arational, if I can be
allowed to coin a new term. That is to say, they originate through
the interaction of memes which are not, in themselves, governed by any
`rational' means of interaction. The meme-complex "rationality" may
assert dominance in the selection of the resultant behaviour, in fact,
to live in modern society we hope it /does/, but it needn't.

Our /perception/ of whether the resultant behaviour is rational or not
is always and inherently relative and contextual.