[extropy-chat] 'a process of non-thinking called faith' 2 (2)

[Mike Dougherty]

On 11/17/06, kevinfreels.com <kevin at kevinfreels.com> wrote:
>
>  But I do not subscribe to your notion of a lower level gene driven
> program of genocide. If anything it's a defense mechanism where they feel
> that if they do not kill, they will be killed. I think that even if they
> were all genetic clones, after years of being taught different things,
> living in different cultures and experiencing different lives, they would
> still be killing each other.
>

I also wonder about the "genes made us do it" explanation for every problem
in the world.  It may be a good working model, especially when told by the
likes of Dawkins et al - but in the retelling there seems to be a bit of
hubris.  "I am above those irrational, god-loving breeders because I am
spreading memes rather than genes."   It seems to me that this model needs a
more encompassing 'unified theory.'  The AI of our future may look
disgustedly upon the recalcitrant members of the Church of Meme as they
currently look upon god-following breeders.

Faith is a belief in something for which you don't (yet) have sufficient
proof or explanation.  If I am testing three hypothesis using the scientific
method, but have a strong bias towards the one that I intuitively expect to
the the best fit solution - then I suggest there is an element of faith in
the outcome of testing to corroborate that intuition.  If there is not at
least some probability of success then there would be no reason to continue
fitness testing.  So before the fittest solution has been found, faith
provides the impetus to continue examination.

Granted, there is a big different between rabid belief in a solution's
fitness without testing (cultish worship) and being open to change in light
of a new perspective or evolving information.  This may just be a matter of
degree?
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