If a meme complex is selected for virulence, if for example if it is transmitted by street corner preaching, it is going to be a cult, will have characteristics likely to be harmful to the host.
If, however, a meme complex is parentally transmitted, then it is going to reflect the characteristics of those who successfully reproduce, hence likely to be beneficent, providing divine authority for behaviors that parents know to be beneficial, behaviors which provide long term rewards but not short term rewards.
I don’t think there’s any way to discriminate between crazy things your mum believes and crazy things the man on the street corner believes.
I also think the virulence of a meme complex, like the virulence of a virus, is very dependent on the context i.e. the population it is introduced to and the other memes it competes with in that population.
“what do you think you know, and how do you think you know it?” is snappy enough to be “virulent” and, I think, not too harmful to the individual host.
I wish “likely to be beneficent, providing divine authority for behaviors that parents know to be beneficial, behaviors which provide long term rewards but not short term rewards” (for some much less than literal value of “divine”) was a good description of “those who successfully reproduce”. Unfortunately it seems like “too dumb to use a condom” is a much more accurate description. Ever seen 16 and Pregnant? (Or, [pointless dig at the interlocutor removed], who reproduces more in the present-day US, white people or black people?)
From the point of view of your genes, likely to reproduce and beneficial are exactly the same thing. That’s trivially true.
Also not particularly interesting even if true: crazy beliefs that get you killed or prevent you from breeding have to spread non-parentally. They don’t have to be particularly persuasive or virulent, there just has to be some other mechanism (e.g. state control of education, military discipline, enjoyable but idiotic forms of mass entertainment) to spread them.
The prevalence of these means doesn’t even have to depend on the ones spreading the memes adopting them for themselves: there can be an economic motive for those who promote them for others to believe crazy things; like there is for drug dealers to sell rather than use heroin.
Individual (or even social) benefit and reward do not necessarily follow from reproductive fitness; they could be utterly miserable but nonetheless have children* with the same beliefs.
*I am not certain how literally to interpret this from the quote.
Jim
I’ve counted 7 from you.
I think you’ve got a half-truth there.
Memes spread horizontally aren’t selected for virulence, but memes spread generationally have at least been selected for not being utterly deadly.
I don’t think there’s any way to discriminate between crazy things your mum believes and crazy things the man on the street corner believes.
I also think the virulence of a meme complex, like the virulence of a virus, is very dependent on the context i.e. the population it is introduced to and the other memes it competes with in that population.
“what do you think you know, and how do you think you know it?” is snappy enough to be “virulent” and, I think, not too harmful to the individual host.
I wish “likely to be beneficent, providing divine authority for behaviors that parents know to be beneficial, behaviors which provide long term rewards but not short term rewards” (for some much less than literal value of “divine”) was a good description of “those who successfully reproduce”. Unfortunately it seems like “too dumb to use a condom” is a much more accurate description. Ever seen 16 and Pregnant? (Or, [pointless dig at the interlocutor removed], who reproduces more in the present-day US, white people or black people?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertility_and_intelligence
From the point of view of your genes, likely to reproduce and beneficial are exactly the same thing. That’s trivially true.
Also not particularly interesting even if true: crazy beliefs that get you killed or prevent you from breeding have to spread non-parentally. They don’t have to be particularly persuasive or virulent, there just has to be some other mechanism (e.g. state control of education, military discipline, enjoyable but idiotic forms of mass entertainment) to spread them.
The prevalence of these means doesn’t even have to depend on the ones spreading the memes adopting them for themselves: there can be an economic motive for those who promote them for others to believe crazy things; like there is for drug dealers to sell rather than use heroin.
The welfare subsidies that make this a viable strategy are a very recent phenomenon.
More educated, healthier, wealthier people reproducing less is not a phenomenon restricted to 21st-century America.
Individual (or even social) benefit and reward do not necessarily follow from reproductive fitness; they could be utterly miserable but nonetheless have children* with the same beliefs.
*I am not certain how literally to interpret this from the quote.