Unabashed, barefaced self promotion

[Aristopus]

Hi,

I'm 64, a retired former bio teacher, married, with a 30-year-old, freethinking and intellectual son. I decided to join this forum because I've studied memetics many years and have written a suspense/thriller, Mirror Reversal, which allegorizes the subject.

As far as I know, no one has ever written a pop novel from a memetic point of view. The theory is that powerful memeplexes actually shaped the entire course of western civilization to ease the facility of their replication.

Richard Dawkins, the founder of memetics, wrote The Selfish Gene and other scientists developed the study describing the selfish meme. Memeplexes often take on the characteristics of malicious computer viruses—or even brain tumors—and are completely unscrupulous, caring only about their own replication. They are contagious. Religious memeplexes have caused much suffering in the world, past and present, because carriers of the memeplex (membots) believe they are acting on behalf of a supernatural entity (The Almighty) but are actually unwitting servants of a selfish meme.

I thought I would reach out to the GLBT community because the last chapters of Mirror Reversal propound an interesting memetic theory. Why should the three major religions of the world be so hostile, malevolent and abusive toward gays when there’s absolutely no victim? In safe adult consensual sex no one gets hurt; no one is robbed; there is no crime.

So why do the organized religions claim that gays are an “abomination?”

Because gays don’t reproduce, that’s why. The memplex has programmed its hosts to reproduce in large, extended, self-protected, fecund families. In an overcrowded world, organized religions encourage making as many babies as a couple can. Gays are a convenient scapegoat. From the memplex’s point a view, they are a dead end.

I’d love to discuss my theory on this thread, or better yet pick up a copy of Mirror Reversal on Amazon or B&N. I sincerely feel that it’s an important concept that can influence a gay person's self-image. Homosexuality is common in nature and there’s nothing sinful or criminal about it. It’s the memeplex’s megalomaniacal cruel intolerance, and the science-fiction control of its membots, that’s caused problems and suffering.

[paul]

Hi Aristopus,

Welcome to the Soulforce forums.

This is a fun topic. The apostle Paul, arguably one of the most influential people in Christianity, actually espoused and promoted celibacy. We see how well that caught on :lol:. Or maybe he didn't really, he noted that in order to live a celibate life one needed be gifted, so to speak. Such a person (the celibate) was purportedly in a better position to devote their self to the "things of God" vs. being pre-occupied with pleasing a partner. So Paul teaches it's "better to be married than to burn...." (obviously, Paul had never been married).

It's noteworthy also the Roman Catholic church adopted a policy of celibacy for the leadership, while the actual church body was indeed encouraged to multiply. It does seem that while the Pope still forbids birth control, few Catholics seem to be onboard... so, is the meme evolving?

Perhaps so. The relatively newcomer to the world religions, Islam (I'm curious what you consider to be the "three:" Christianity, Islam and Hinduism or Buddhism? ) may be replacing the reproduction meme with the kill the infidel meme. It's a thought. What with modern technology replacing the sword, it's is much more viable method to achieving dominance than it was in the past.
Leo W. Buss believes that "at each stage in the history of life in which a new self-replicating unit arose, the rules regarding the operation of natural selection changed utterly." (Evolution of Individuality

[Aristopus]

Leo W. Buss believes that "at each stage in the history of life in which a new self-replicating unit arose, the rules regarding the operation of natural selection changed utterly." (Evolution of Individuality

Thanks for your interesting reply.

When I mentioned the three major religions, I should have added "in the west." I was referring to Judaism.

Celibacy, from the view of the memeplex is a dilemma. By having non-reproducing priests, the religion loses a few secure and well protected converts. On the other hand, celibate priests are free and non-restricted to go about the community “spreading the word.” It’s a trade-off.

Thanks for the tip on the above book. The quote is absolutely true. The spear and/or fire memes certainly ended the predation of humans. The rules of natural selection were contravened forever. But by giving rise to a second replicator, we might have opened a Pandora’s Box. As shown by WWII, memes can become powerful enough to destroy whole societies.

[BruceChris]

and a host of other impending ecological chrises, I would suspect that from point of view of life on this planet, the memplexes that you speak of are a dead end. Just a thought

Namaste', Bruce Chris