virus: CS=BS (Was:A memetic revelation)
D.H.Rosdeitcher (76473.3041@compuserve.com)
Sun, 7 Sep 1997 20:36:08 -0400
Eva wrote:
>You mean, "How can I tell that anything I'm doing makes a difference to
>the rest of the world?" and "How can I tell how I'm affected by the rest
>of the world?" Well, I don't see how seeing oneself as part of a system
>makes those questions any harder. I know ways in which I have affected
>those around me, who have affected others in turn. I can't know exactly
>how much of a difference I made, since I don't have a control universe (in
>which I didn't do whatever I did) to compare with. But I can often see
>fairly clear cause and effect, and the rest of the time I get hints.
How does being part of a law of cause and effect imply being part of a
larger superorganism? If complex systems theory had value, there would be
some sort of approximation of some larger organism which gives us a
birdseye view of our situation. This would lead to a meaningful
relationship with this superorganism. I see no convincing evidence that
we're part of a complex system.
--David R.