Sure. Or memetics. My point is that it is easier to draw pleasure from
*pretending* doing something rather than doing the *real* thing. It is much
safer, no risk. By reading a book or watching a movie you get into an
artificial world, where you can feel emotions, but in fact you cannot be
hurt. Even if it is a sad story and everybody dies, you are still alive.
Alcohol and drugs may give you a good feeling of power, much more power than
you truly have. Belonging to a group of Objectivists, Memeticists,
Scientologists, Level-3-ists, Communists, or any Church can give you a good
feeling of belonging. It is easy and tempting to save energy by not
thinking independently. In some groups it is required as payment for
belonging. Then you "pretend" these are your thoughts when in fact you have
quit thinking.
It is very easy and dangerous to switch to the "follow" mode. When I was
writing my recent post about Level-3, I went back to find when it all
started and I was amazed with how serious my thoughts were then in May 1996,
and how manipulative Richard was. From the perspective of nine months I can
clearly see it. Now I see that Richard is doing exactly the same thing,
people he criticizes, do (I am still not sure if he does it 100%
intensionally). So I invented this "Richard/David R." plot, an "artificial
world" to preserve my hero.
(There were other reasons too, but that's another story).
Jokes (which I have nothing against) may play the same role if they are used
not in addition, but *instead* of an independent thinking.
>Given the choice (and PLEASE don't make me choose, that would be too
>cruel) I'll take "books, alcohol and drugs" over Objectivism in a
>heartbeat.
I know.
I have nothing against books, alcohol or drugs. You can have them all and
*still* think independently (providing you are not stoned at the moment).
It is *replacing* your thinking with them which is fatal to your MIND (or
your meme-pool, I should say).
Where were we?... Yes, what do you think of the three axioms? Do you agree
with me that the third axiom seems to be redundant?
(I don't know why David R. is still not reacting to my question, busy
fighting, or what?)
Regards, Tadeusz (Tad) Niwinski from planet TeTa
tad@teta.ai http://www.teta.ai (604) 985-4159