Rorschach Posted April 15, 2010 Posted April 15, 2010 Oh-oh....we have a Dawkinsite in house. The superiority of your genetics is coming through. Perhaps the reverse is true. It could be that you are missing the gene that would enable you to realize that God exists. ( I like the guy's idea in which he said that those who believe in a God do so because of the "God gene." That at least makes more sense than some invisible "meme" ...in my disadvantaged mind.)) BTW, what does a meme look like? Can we see one? We do know that they were created...by Mr Dawkins. Perhaps he is the God he so violently argues against? Apologies for the tongue in cheek humor. Perhaps that is a meme I also have. meme=internet phenomenon
FryFish Posted April 15, 2010 Posted April 15, 2010 Perhaps the reverse is true. It could be that you are missing the gene that would enable you to realize that God exists.Quite possible. ( I like the guy's idea in which he said that those who believe in a God do so because of the "God gene." That at least makes more sense than some invisible "meme" ...in my disadvantaged mind.))You dont seem to know the definition of the word meme... BTW, what does a meme look like? Can we see one? We do know that they were created...by Mr Dawkins. Perhaps he is the God he so violently argues against?I see... you clearly dont know the definition. Dawkins didnt create memes... He simply put a name to an observable phenomenon. The most simple and encompassing definition of what a meme is is something that is self perpetuating yet otherwise intangible. So yes, rorschach, in a way many internet phenoms are in fact memes. But more accurately a good example of a meme is a mindset that is passed down from one generation to the next. It is any "idea" that evolves over time... Apologies for the tongue in cheek humor. Perhaps that is a meme I also have.I used to be a christian... So I at least KNOW what Im talking about when I am talking about christianity. You would do well to learn about memes before you go misusing the word.
JamesM Posted April 15, 2010 Posted April 15, 2010 You dont seem to know the definition of the word meme... I see... you clearly dont know the definition. Dawkins didnt create memes... He simply put a name to an observable phenomenon. Actually, I did read about memes in Dawkins book The God Delusion. And yes, he put a name to something HE observed. He thinks that ideas and culture are spread due to natural selection. In other words, I have no control over what I believe because I have the religion meme. Those who have decided God does not exist are more "advanced" because they are not "disadvantaged" by said meme. I can agree that ideas are passed from generation to generation and from person to person, but I cannot agree that somehow it means we have no control over what we believe. It is a nice metaphor but it has been taken beyond what is useful. Saying we are what are memes are says we have no free will. I disagree. You are an example. You were a "Christian" and now are not. How is it that you got rid of the religion meme and other have not. The reason Dawkins coined such a term was to stereotype those who believed in something as ignorant and uneducated. It was and is a means for those who do not believe in a God to classify religious folks. If we did that about race or gender, then we would say that Dawkins is a religiophobe. You would do well to learn about memes before you go misusing the word. My tongue in cheek humor was not intended to treat memes seriously. It was not intended to be a complete analysis of what I know or don't know.
FryFish Posted April 15, 2010 Posted April 15, 2010 but I cannot agree that somehow it means we have no control over what we believe.Of course we have control over what we choose to believe; but memes play a very large role in what we choose. This is undeniable. Where and when a person is born is the BEST indicator as to what religion that person is going to have. There are exceptions to the rule but exceptions dont change the rule. The reason Dawkins coined such a term was to stereotype those who believed in something as ignorant and uneducated.Incorrect.
TheBigQuestion Posted April 15, 2010 Posted April 15, 2010 Actually JamesM, I'm very interested in hearing what your thoughts are on that video I posted. It's not necessarily proof for or against the existence of God, but it certainly seems that atheists seem to enjoy a higher standard of living and less conflicting lives than anyone of a religious persuasion. What do you attribute this to? It seems that atheists are, by some of society's most significant measurables, "better" people. This extends to relationships (see the stats about divorce rates).
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