[extropy-chat] Best To Regard Free Will as Existing

[Lee Corbin]

Stathis writes

> On 4/7/07, scerir <scerir at libero.it> wrote:

> > I do not think that genes and environment
> > play a major role when people buy, or sell,
> > (or keep) shares of IBM, or Apple.

> No? What else could *possibly* be at play here?

Well, after Serafino has pointed it out that there is a
question here, I can't understand why I didn't see it
before.  Certainly in discussions of rationality we have
recognized the importance of

Memes!  Oh, sure, we could think of memes as being
just a part of the environment, and perhaps in the particular
discussion that you (Stathis) are having, I could understand
that. But normally when we weigh genes and environment,
or nature and nurture, we are trying to account for what
made us the way we are.

Now whether the original influences were mostly genetic
(which I think is right) or environmental, the *current*
determinants of our thinking are largely memetic. In other
words, whatever your current configuration today, tomorrow
you will be being strongly run by the latest viral memeplex
fallen under the sway of.

Lee