From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Mon Sep 23 2002 - 13:40:32 MDT
On 23 Sep 2002 at 12:16, Michelle wrote:
> [Joe] Even the 'meme' meme can count passionate adherents among those
> who embrace it - and I am one of those, simply because I consider the
> concept as making eminently logical sense, and caring about the wide
> dissemination of truth, or of those human models which most closely
> approximate it, is a positive value for me.
>
> [Michelle] Interesting - the caring about the wide dissemination of
> truth part... that's a meme unto itself, which attaches itself to any
> other meme that is successfully hosted. So what's the motivation for
> that one? I've seen both selfless and self-centered; and seldom
> purely one or the other.
>
Compassion for others is one, and having available more (in both
senses of the word) knowledgeable people with which to interact is
another.
>
> It implies egoism in either context, because one must assume
> superiority to assume that one has access to/understanding of truths
> that others do not.
>
> How is this justified?
>
I know things that many others do not, just as many others know things
that I do not; it benefits us all for each of us to both share our respective
knowledge with others, and desire to receive knowledge from others, for
such sharing raises the average general level of knowledge.
>
> (not that I'm against it - I consider myself superior to many on the
> planet, but it's always a good exercise to justify oneself...)
>
Honing one's logical chops and engaging in honest introspection are
both perpetually valuable enterprises.
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