>Question: Are there many memes which don't help their hosts
>genetically,
>which still thrive in the meme pool?
You've just asked what I think is the most interesting question brought
up by memetics, and to which I devoted considerable discussion in Virus
of the Mind. Given that your genes give you a set of instincts that
point you in one direction, and your memes give you a context/world
view/ethos that points you in another direction...what is YOUR best
interest?
But to answer your question briefly: birth control, late marriage,
monogamy for men, and celibacy for priests seem like obvious candidates.
There are probably many others that act less directly.
Interestingly, in today's society I would say there are GENETIC drives
that don't help their hosts genetically...they just haven't caught up
with us yet. And Vonnegut, in Galapagos, argues that intelligence is a
losing genetic trait!
Richard Brodie RBrodie@brodietech.com +1.206.688.8600
CEO, Brodie Technology Group, Inc., Bellevue, WA USA
http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie
Do you know what a "meme" is? http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/meme.htm
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