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2006-02-13 -Short Attention Span Theater-

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Posted by anonymous5089 2006-02-13 12:06|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 They make you drink too.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2006-02-13 16:07|| 2006-02-13 16:07|| Front Page Top

#2 I thought this was going to be an article about the imams controling the boys down at the local mosque. Nevermind.

Posted by Mark Z 2006-02-13 16:13|| 2006-02-13 16:13|| Front Page Top

#3 Think about it: Islamism as a disease?

Posted by Fred 2006-02-13 18:48|| 2006-02-13 18:48|| Front Page Top

#4 I keep waiting for the fever to break...

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2006-02-13 19:03|| 2006-02-13 19:03|| Front Page Top

#5 a "disease" removes all responsibility of the afflicted. I think not. Assholes, thugs, brutes, misogynists of all stripes converge to a place that makes it OK to kill your raped daughter, throw acid in a women's face because she rejected your advances, forces women to cover becuz the guys ain't got any self-control.....

a disease? Fine - the cure is quarantine and eradication?

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-02-13 19:36|| 2006-02-13 19:36|| Front Page Top

Posted by DMFD 2006-02-13 20:09|| 2006-02-13 20:09|| Front Page Top

#7 Great book. Heilein rocks.

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2006-02-13 20:30|| 2006-02-13 20:30|| Front Page Top

#8 Actually Fred, there is something to that contention. In the same way organisms and species are in a Darwinian struggle for finite resources, religions are in a struggle for bodies (their finite resource). Note that the term 'meme' was originated by Richard Dawkins, the prominent Darwinian scientist.

We can loosely define a disease as an organism that is harmful to other organisms (although where a disease stops and a predator starts is open to discussion). A disease meme is similarly one that is harmful to organisms, especially those organisms that don't hold the meme or hold other memes.

This leaves us with the question - How do memes that are harmful propagate since they are deleterious to other organisms and in a population being close to them results in your survival chances being reduced. I can think of two answers.

1. The meme is disproportionately deleterious to non-holders of the meme. So, while it conveys an evolutionary disadvantage to all organisms that come in contact with it, it imposes a relative disadvantage to those who don't hold the meme (and a relative advantage to those who do). This frees up finite resources that holders of the meme can then use.

2. The meme is parasitical. The meme incorporates elements that result in holders of the meme to aggressively take resources from holders of other memes that convey relative (i.e. genuine) benefit to their holders. Obviously, this works best (and will occur most) with memes that tolerate, and perhaps even encourage, this kind of parasitical behaviour.

I leave it to the reader to decide which religions fit this definition.

Posted by phil_b">phil_b 2006-02-13 20:45|| http://autonomousoperation.blogspot.com/]">[http://autonomousoperation.blogspot.com/] 2006-02-13 20:45|| Front Page Top

#9 Hairworms I've conquered, they were easy. These nasty flukes will take a bit longer.

Posted by Besoeker 2006-02-13 21:39|| 2006-02-13 21:39|| Front Page Top

16:48 Besoeker
16:36 Jomble Glavimp6138
16:24 Explain This
16:18 Explain This
23:57 Sherry
23:55 Frank G
23:47 CrazyFool
23:40 DMFD
23:38 Old Patriot
23:38 RD
23:37 trailing wife
23:28 Old Patriot
23:21 Besoeker
23:19 RWV
23:17 Barbara Skolaut
23:09 Old Patriot
23:08 RWV
23:06 Frank G
23:04 Besoeker
23:04 trailing wife
23:03 Frank G
23:01 Ebboth Hupuper2982
23:00 DMFD
22:59 Old Patriot