Recently I finished both Sam Harris's End of Faith and How We Believe by Michael Shermer. Harris left me unconvinced that it will be possible to end faith. He makes a good argument for its dangers but Shermer's left me wondering if the only solution terror issue is introducing a new meme. These meme would have to both 1) neutralize the results of beliefs that are detrimental to our civilization and 2) have greater fitness than current memes. Yes, this sounds very similar to the anti-malaria mosquito.
The only way I could think of to neutralize civilization-destructive beliefs is rather grizzly: some type of suicide mechanism that forbids harming others in the process. For the fitness property, there are already memes that provide paradise after death and riches for the family left behind. Perhaps the fitness problem could be outsourced; what if all the believers wealth transferred to their religious institution? Then it would be in the entrepreneurial clergy's best interest to devise ways to make this meme win over other memes. Would that produce a high enough fitness?
But this must be a topic others have worked on in the past. I probably just need to do some more reading to find out what are the best contenders for this procelator meme.
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