I’ve seen that essay linked a few times and finally took the time to read it carefully. Some thoughts, for what they’re worth:
What exactly is a code? (Apparently they can be genetic or memetic, information theory and Hayek both have something to say about them, and social traditions are instances of them.) How do you derive, refute or justify a code?
There are apparently evolved memetic codes that solve interpersonal problems—how do we know that memetic evolution selects for good solutions to interpersonal problems, and that it doesn’t select even more strongly for something useless or harmful, like memorability or easy transmission to children or appeal to the kinds of people in the best position to spread their ideas to others or making one feel good? Why isn’t memetic evolution as much of anamoralAzathoth as biological evolution? The results of memetic evolution are just the memes that were best at surviving and reproducing themselves. These generally have no reason to be objectively true. I’m not convinced that there’s any reason they should be intersubjectively true (socially beneficial) either. Also, selection among entire social systems seems to require group selection.
And granted that the traditions that are the results of the process of memetic/cultural evolution contain valuable truths, are those truths in the actual content of the traditions, or are they just in what we can infer from the fact that these were the particular traditions that resulted from the process?
I’m not convinced that there’s any reason they should be intersubjectively true (socially beneficial) either.
It seems clear to me that memes are socially beneficial in the sense that we’re much better off with the memes that we actually have (including traditional moralities, laws, etc.) than no memes, or a set of random memes. And also that it would be quite hard to find a set of memes that would do as well, if we were to start over from scratch. I’m not quite sure how to explain this, or answer your other questions, but perhaps Nick has given these issues more thought. He recently reposted the essay to his blog, so commenting there might be a good way to draw his attention.
I’ve seen that essay linked a few times and finally took the time to read it carefully. Some thoughts, for what they’re worth:
What exactly is a code? (Apparently they can be genetic or memetic, information theory and Hayek both have something to say about them, and social traditions are instances of them.) How do you derive, refute or justify a code?
There are apparently evolved memetic codes that solve interpersonal problems—how do we know that memetic evolution selects for good solutions to interpersonal problems, and that it doesn’t select even more strongly for something useless or harmful, like memorability or easy transmission to children or appeal to the kinds of people in the best position to spread their ideas to others or making one feel good? Why isn’t memetic evolution as much of an amoral Azathoth as biological evolution? The results of memetic evolution are just the memes that were best at surviving and reproducing themselves. These generally have no reason to be objectively true. I’m not convinced that there’s any reason they should be intersubjectively true (socially beneficial) either. Also, selection among entire social systems seems to require group selection.
And granted that the traditions that are the results of the process of memetic/cultural evolution contain valuable truths, are those truths in the actual content of the traditions, or are they just in what we can infer from the fact that these were the particular traditions that resulted from the process?
It seems clear to me that memes are socially beneficial in the sense that we’re much better off with the memes that we actually have (including traditional moralities, laws, etc.) than no memes, or a set of random memes. And also that it would be quite hard to find a set of memes that would do as well, if we were to start over from scratch. I’m not quite sure how to explain this, or answer your other questions, but perhaps Nick has given these issues more thought. He recently reposted the essay to his blog, so commenting there might be a good way to draw his attention.