virus: Meaning, A Puzzle

Deron Stewart (deron@direct.ca)
Fri, 27 Feb 1998 01:30:56 -0800

A memetic puzzle for your consideration:

In 1865 Gregor Mendel published work of fundamental importance. It made no
impression during his own lifetime and was only "rediscovered" in 1902 by
Sutton and Boveri who had arrived at similar ideas. Today he is practically
a household name, second only to Darwin in his field, and his memetic star
is still rising.

If enduring fame is any reflection of a meaningful life then Mendel did
very well. The only problem is he died without knowing it. If his work was
never rediscovered or otherwise lost to obscurity he would be just another
anonymous monk who had a thing for peas.

So the meaningfulness of his life seems to have been an unanswered question
at the time of his death. How is this possible? -- In other words it seems
that either posthumous fame has no bearing on the meaning of one's life or
that there is some mysterious backward causation taking place whereby
future events can affect one's present life. Both possibilities seem cou
nterintuitive...

...so what's the way out of the dilemma? (If I've convinced you that there
is a dilemma, that is.)

The first correct answer wins a set of steak knives :-)

Deron