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At 06:44 PM 12/13/2007, you wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Keith wrote:</blockquote><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">>If Religion is an
antirational meme, it will behave in <br>
ways that<br>
>promote its memetic survival. If there's a gene that makes
people<br>
>more likely to be fanatics, well, okay. I don't see necessarily
why<br>
>this gene can't behave in a self-promoting way anyway, although
my<br>
>knowledge of genetics is pretty poor compared to my understanding
of<br>
>meme theory. But WRT the meme, Religion is one of the strongest<br>
>antirational memeplexes next to parenting and romance, so we're<br>
>likely to see a lot of self-preservation behaviour from this
meme.<br>
>Memes are not dependent on genes to explain the ways they
behave.<br><br>
In the long run memes and genes can't be at odds. Those that are
die<br>
out. Look into the history of the Shaker meme."<br>
__________________<br><br>
Religious meme infects brains not trained in critical <br>
thinking/rationality. Such untrained brains are hosts to irrational <br>
memes. Without brains susceptible to memetic infection, these religious
<br>
memes/beliefs die.<br><br>
I don''t know the Shaker meme. </blockquote><br>
Google it. <font size=2><b>342 for shakers "keith
henson"</b>.</font> The Shaker meme set forbid sex. They
maintained their numbers for a while by recruiting, but quit and that
religious meme is essentially extinct.<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Is it based on reason or
metaphysical <br>
beliefs? Some metaphysical beliefs based on faith is at odds with
<br>
science and technology. The latter is based on the principles of <br>
continuous investigation on the nature of reality. The gap between <br>
science and religion exists due to minds attached to irrationality, a
<br>
by- product of the "selfish gene."</blockquote><br>
I think you need to do a serious reading program to catch up to the
enlightened view shared by most of the people on this list.<br><br>
Keith</body>
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