On the whole, this account reads to me like “what to do if you want to commit suicide while also continuing to infect hapless others with the idea that they, too, should commit this form of suicide”. That is really what struck me about this particular “enlightenment” story: the whole business seems like a destructive meme.
I agree it can be seen as a destructive meme. At the same time, I wonder why it has spread so little. Maybe because it doesn’t have a very evangelical property. People who become infected with it might not have much of a desire to pass it on to others.
Seconded.
On the whole, this account reads to me like “what to do if you want to commit suicide while also continuing to infect hapless others with the idea that they, too, should commit this form of suicide”. That is really what struck me about this particular “enlightenment” story: the whole business seems like a destructive meme.
Hard determinism can also have a demoralising effect. People keep saying “determinism doesn’t imply fatalism”, other people keep getting demoralised.
I agree it can be seen as a destructive meme. At the same time, I wonder why it has spread so little. Maybe because it doesn’t have a very evangelical property. People who become infected with it might not have much of a desire to pass it on to others.