As for the implied idea that natural selection does not apply to memes, I’ll try to bite my tongue there.
That totally wasn’t what I meant to imply.
’s why I tried to bite my tongue—but it was difficult to completely let it go by...
For someone like me it is pretty accurate to say that I got my utility function from natural selection acting on DNA genes.
Yes, but I think you’re rather unusual in this regard; most people aren’t so wary of memes. Might I ask why you prefer genes to memes? This seems odd to me.
Well, I love memes, but DNA-genes built 99% of my ancestors unassisted, and are mostly responsible for building me. They apparently equipped me with a memetic immune system, for weeding out undesirable memes, to allow me to defend myself in those cases where there is a conflict of interests.
Why should I side with the memes? They aren’t even related to me. The best of them are beneficial human symbionts—rather like lettuces and strawberries. I care for them some—but don’t exactly embrace their optimisation targets as my own.
I don’t dispute memes have done a lot of good things in the world. So has Mother Teresa—but that doesn’t mean I have to adopt her goals as my own either.
’s why I tried to bite my tongue—but it was difficult to completely let it go by...
Well, I love memes, but DNA-genes built 99% of my ancestors unassisted, and are mostly responsible for building me. They apparently equipped me with a memetic immune system, for weeding out undesirable memes, to allow me to defend myself in those cases where there is a conflict of interests.
Why should I side with the memes? They aren’t even related to me. The best of them are beneficial human symbionts—rather like lettuces and strawberries. I care for them some—but don’t exactly embrace their optimisation targets as my own.
I don’t dispute memes have done a lot of good things in the world. So has Mother Teresa—but that doesn’t mean I have to adopt her goals as my own either.