Re: virus: Virus Invades Cybernetics Conference

Tim Rhodes (proftim@speakeasy.org)
Mon, 21 Sep 1998 23:14:42 -0700


David R. wrote:

>What I mean by world view, is that it is a framework for answering the big
>questions asked by all religions, such as: 'how did the world come to
>exist?',', 'what exists?',

These are philosophical questions. Although philosophy and religion are in
the same phylum, this however should not be confused with they're being the
same species.

>'how should I act?, etc.

Ahhh! Now this sounds more like a religious question! (But you might
notice that it is also a question for which Darwinism generally, and
memetics specificly, offer absolutely no answers at all.)

>It is possible to
>take psychoactives and not ponder any of those questions, even though
>psychoactives can be used for getting answers to those questions.

And likwise it is possible to study memetics (or cybernetics or natural
selection or any other such subject) without pondering any of these
philosophical questions, even though they can be used to guide ones quest
for the answers to these questions.

>My term religion means an integrated all-encompassing belief system.
>That's is what Darwinism is if everything evolves,

BTW, its Neo-Darwinism you're talking about. (Just to be more accurate in
future.)

>That's is what (Neo-)Darwinism is if everything evolves,
>including our ideas of everything
>including evolution, our perception of everything is colored by Darwinism.

But again, you've lost me on the religious aspect. If "Memetic
Neo-Darwinism" is "an integrated all-encompassing belief system" what does
it tell me about how I should treat my neighbor? The bum on the street?
The criminal convicted of gay-bashing? An IRS agent? Or my mother? Or
perhaps a better question for you, David:

Why do you, personally, feel that you _need_ so very badly to _have_ an
"integrated all-encompassing belief system" to find shelter in? So much so
that you're willing to construct a new walled city out of the spent shells
and wasted ammo left over after the barrage which toppled your last
"all-encompassing belief system".

>Of course you can make a religion of anything...

..if you feel you need to. But do you really feel that way?

-Prof. Tim