Thank you for that. Fascinating. I had been pondering the matter today, of how or whether to reconcile memetics with quantum consciousness, a theory I have long felt provides an excellent possibility of accounting for subjective conscious awareness.
In my post I mentioned Blackmore, Calvin, and Dennett, who are all opposed to the idea of quantum consciousness because they consider consciousness and even "the self" to be memetic illusions built solely for propagating memes. I have a hard time agreeing with this. For one thing, I do not think that consciousness being "real" is incompatible with memetic evolution.
On the page I linked to, there are articles about the early universe possibly having a moment of conscious awareness (which they call "the Big Wow") and the idea that life itself is a kind of "superconductor" that guides biochemicals rather than leaving their interactions to chance.
This would all fit in with what Greg Bear is saying in his essay. This would also, I think, increase the likelihood that memetic theory is valid -- even if it is not based on the idea of a "selfish replicator" as its primary proponents seem to feel.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2004-07-20 08:34 pm (UTC)In my post I mentioned Blackmore, Calvin, and Dennett, who are all opposed to the idea of quantum consciousness because they consider consciousness and even "the self" to be memetic illusions built solely for propagating memes. I have a hard time agreeing with this. For one thing, I do not think that consciousness being "real" is incompatible with memetic evolution.
On the page I linked to, there are articles about the early universe possibly having a moment of conscious awareness (which they call "the Big Wow") and the idea that life itself is a kind of "superconductor" that guides biochemicals rather than leaving their interactions to chance.
This would all fit in with what Greg Bear is saying in his essay. This would also, I think, increase the likelihood that memetic theory is valid -- even if it is not based on the idea of a "selfish replicator" as its primary proponents seem to feel.