Well this thread is a great great read!! Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Seems to me that the big religions would be better described as supermemes, or perhaps the particular methods employed by them minimemes (mini me me's
). I know the etymology of the word is from the Greek mimesis, to mime or mimic but cetainly its rather fashionable at the moment. Q.E.D.
The start of the thread deals in large part with the discussion of whether science is a meme. Well there are good scientists and bad. but I think science by defenition cannot be considered a meme. It's a method of aquiring answers not of propogating dogmas, however some individuals/organisations may intentionaly/unintentionaly cause this to be a fair criticisim.
In the monotheisms well its almost like the word meme, in its precise defenition, was almost invented by the non-believers specificly to give long held atheistic ideas a single collectivising defenition. If the various tomes of mans fascination with his spirituality are not based on mimicry then nothing is. The real question is one of malignancy. Dawkins and his ilk are undoubtably as memeistic as any theism. Anyone who watches Dawkins cannot escape the fact that the only thing separating him from religion is that he uses the word podium and not pulpit to preach from. (for the record I dislike the mans arrogance not his ideas).
The web gave us happy slapping and 'bum' fights. But only here on CR do we get the wonderful spectacle of
Buddhist Fights !! Seriously the exchanges between Devadatta and Vajradhara were good and thought provoking and exciting. Like most religions I have only given Buddhism a cursory glance. Probably because I discovered Tao early in life. I have read several translations of the Tao Te Ching and the wrtings of Lao Tzu. I took them literaly tho and fully grasped the concept that the Tao that can be named is not the Tao, and so many might cite me as ignorant I am at peace with it. Indeed in some respects my ignorance is my greatest freind. It means my thots are, as much as they can be, my own.
A meme is the antithesis of what I value and see as mans most splendid gift, his intellect. Religions/memes through rote/ cultural pressure/expectation destroy the intellectual/spiritual growth that will take place in every reasonably intelligent adult. I think our sense of spirit is 'hardwired' into us and by grabbing us as children, infecting us with these viral memes we deny our ability to fully develop spiritualy. The conundrum, given that spirituality is something we all develop, is that we will naturaly want to share and communicate that experience with others. So its a bit of a catch 22 in that as soon a you get a few people agreeing on a particular set of ideas another meme is created. And then 1 or more will want to evangelise it or use it to have powerful position. Its really terribly sad.
Anyhow. A great thread.
TE
