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. I am definitely a universal Darwinist. (You can view pretty much any optimization process as “evolution”, though, so in some cases it’s questionably useful. Bayesian updating is just like population genetics. But with memes it’s obviously a good description.)
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. Largely because humans evolved for memes and with memes. Archetypes, for example. But also because the better memes seem to have done a lot of good in the world. (My genetically evolved cognitive algorithms—that is, the algorithms in my brain that I think aren’t the result of culture, but instead are universal machinery—stare in appreciation at the beauty of cathedrals, and are grateful that economies make my life easier.)
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.
That totally wasn’t what I meant to imply. I am definitely a universal Darwinist. (You can view pretty much any optimization process as “evolution”, though, so in some cases it’s questionably useful. Bayesian updating is just like population genetics. But with memes it’s obviously a good description.)
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. Largely because humans evolved for memes and with memes. Archetypes, for example. But also because the better memes seem to have done a lot of good in the world. (My genetically evolved cognitive algorithms—that is, the algorithms in my brain that I think aren’t the result of culture, but instead are universal machinery—stare in appreciation at the beauty of cathedrals, and are grateful that economies make my life easier.)
’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.