<From the end of the article>
The inner conscious self that has free will, and can rebel against the
selfish replicators, is an illusion. The self is a memeplex created by and
for the memes.
<snip>
If the theory of memetic drive is correct then this body here has been
created by the combined replicator power of genes and memes. But what about
the 'real me'? Just by calling this 'my body' and 'my brain' I seem to imply
that 'I' am something else. Certainly it feels as though there is a self
inside who owns this body and controls it - a conscious self who experiences
the world and has creativity and free will. Do you feel this way too?
<snip>
If so you face a problem. Either you must accept the existence of a
mysterious soul, spirit, or separate mind - with all the philosophical and
scientific problems that poses - or you must reject it. But if you reject it,
it is no good putting your head in the sand and saying 'the self just is the
physical body' because it doesn't feel that way. You have explain why we are
all deluded into this illusion of self that seems so much more than just the
cells of our bodies.
<end quotes>
[rhinoceros]
That seems to be... well... not rigorous thinking. If one restricts the meme
concept to replicated information, and excludes genetic traits, emotions, and
ideas obtained through practice, the above claims about memes being solely
accountable for the self do not seem so convincing.
Did I miss something?
[Jake] No you heard Blackmore correctly. And I think this is one area that
her ideological musing really make for more distractions than clarifications.
I see no compelling reason to make issues of self and selfhood some sort of
pivot stone for memetics. Certainly given memetics we can look at selfness
in new and interesting and ways, but going on about selves themselves doesn't
really do anything interesting for the progress of memetics. Unless you want
to intellectually masturbate the next phenomenological narrative free will
chaos magick memeplex into existence. In which case allow me to recommend
this Email list that I am subscribed to called "Church of the Virus".
-Jake
;-)
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