Intro to Memetics

by phil on Sunday Sep 7, 2003 5:28 PM
brain, science of, memetics

Thought contagion theory begins by inverting the age-old question of how people acquire beliefs, focusing instead on how beliefs acquire people

Professional matchmakers also play into the picture, but not in as direct a way as one would expect. Matchmakers who charge for using astrological methods compete with those who don't. But the astrologer matches by arbitrary criteria that produce dead-end courtships. Ironically, that causes customers to come back and pay for return visits. However, the matchmaker who succeeds in making sensible pairings looses customers more quickly, since more of them find satisfying relationships. These differences help the astrological service expand and take on new practitioners. It's another viral mechanism for astrological compatibility ideas to spread, not just despite their flaws, but because of their flaws.