[extropy-chat] Bad idea, was Transhumanism as Religion

[Keith Henson]

At 02:53 AM 2/18/2006 -0800, Stuart LaForge wrote:

>--- Keith Henson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:
> > Google Results 1 - 10 of about 12,200 for sex drugs
> > cults "Keith Henson"
> >
> > Take the first link.
>
>Alright, Keith. I have read your paper and understand
>it. So then the question I have for you is: is it
>necessary to trigger the capture-bonding instinct in
>people to give them a rewarding cult experience?

I don't think so,  I put capture-bonding in mainly as an obvious example of 
an evolved psychological trait before going on to the less obvious 
attention-reward and drug connection.

On second thought,  the cults I know about in some detail use it, the 
Moonies in recruiting when they take (or took) people 30 miles out of town 
for a "religious retreat," and the S cult uses it to re bond staff members 
who are becoming less attached (the RPF).  (Ex Moonies often recall fear at 
their first extended contact with the cult.)  This is too small a sample to 
say anything definitive.

>I do not mind triggering attention-reward serotonin

Endorphin and dopamine.  Serotonin might be involved since these pathways 
all influence each other.

>pathways in people as attention, social acceptance,
>and a sense of belonging are all necessary to give a
>cult member their money's worth.  But inducing
>Stockholme syndrome in people seems unnecessarily
>ruthless and if it can be avoided and still make for a
>successful religion, I think it should.

"Convert or die!" vs "Please come to our prayer meeting."  Both work.  The 
first is faster.  If list people could keep it at a theory level, we could 
discuss the historical religions along this axis, extending to ones that 
don't try to spread horizontally.

We could even discuss the nature of the groups near to the memetic space of 
Extropians but that's sure to turn into flame wars.

Shame because I have an amusing story that gores a nearby ox but is now 
understandable based on the work of Drew Westen.

I have gone from evolutionary psychology axiom, to the lemma of 
evolved-in-the-Stone Age psychological mechanisms, to the theory of how 
cult/religious memes activate those mechanisms and capture the 
person--often to their personal and genetic disadvantage.

I balk at taking the step to praxis.

Among other reasons, my wife would divorce me.  :-)

Also, I don't think I am cut out to be a cult guru, though I admit (having 
sampled them) the rewards are sweet.

Almost two decades ago I made the observation that cults either die or 
mellow out as they age into religions but historically this process takes 
about 300 years.  Now I think the process is deeply tied up with the same 
mechanisms that lead to wars and that is my current main interest.

Best wishes,

Keith Henson