Browsed by
Tag: memes

Can memes bypass rationality to manipulate you?

Can memes bypass rationality to manipulate you?

Comments 1 comment

We’ve had a few discussions about what ‘memes’ are and how they work. We didn’t reach a consensus on whether they are true replicators in their own rights, as genes (or gene collectives) seem to be. Consider the following excerpt (author permission obtained) with the less rigorous working definition of a meme in mind: a unit of information with the capacity to shape perception and belief (or a  unit of ‘culture transmission’). Also, consider the conversations and readings we’ve had about…

Read More Read More

Tooby and Cosmides on human frames

Tooby and Cosmides on human frames

Comments 0 Comment

They note that cultural evolution is different than genetic evolution. The latter is based more on special purpose “innate human psychological mechanisms” (30). They even equate these mechanisms with the “frame problem” (34). They also said: “All normal human minds reliably develop a standard collection of reasoning and regulatory circuits that are functionally specialized and, frequently, domain-specific. These circuits organize the way we interpret our experiences, inject certain recurrent concepts and motivations into our mental life, and provide universal frames…

Read More Read More