I guess it depends on the purpose. If I was designing a new religion, I could ask: a religion spreads through such and such mechanism, how we could design a faster spreader? I’m not pointing at any particular direction, I was just saying that it’s a better question than simply analyzing the state of the art, so to speak.
it’s a better question than simply analyzing the state of the art
Yes, I agree. But still, the answer very much depends on the specific criterion you’re interested in. Social constructs that are extra virulent (spread fast) will be different from social constructs that are, say, extra robust (survive long).
The secular parallel to religion is called an ideology.
What does “better” mean?
I guess it depends on the purpose. If I was designing a new religion, I could ask: a religion spreads through such and such mechanism, how we could design a faster spreader?
I’m not pointing at any particular direction, I was just saying that it’s a better question than simply analyzing the state of the art, so to speak.
Yes, I agree. But still, the answer very much depends on the specific criterion you’re interested in. Social constructs that are extra virulent (spread fast) will be different from social constructs that are, say, extra robust (survive long).