WAX ON THE FUTURE has some problems with memetics, especially the concept of "religion is a cultural virus." The way I see it, even if God exists, the transmission of His word is still memetic. To say that religion is memetic does not automatically disprove spirit or the devine. The enculturation of science is memetic, which doesn't disprove science. Memes are neutral, agnostic, and the messenger. Remember not to kill the messenger.
"While I think the portrayal of how religions develop is a little simplistic, the advocacy for general religious education is right on. I agree that the obsession with some more fundamentalists idea that they should keep their children ignorant of other religions to keep beliefs pure is quite misguided."
"I can’t help but think that over-reliance and an obsession with “fitness” and using “fitness” models for things is wrong-headed, as I think it could slip too easily into a false meta-narrative, an idea of inevitable progress. Recently at an archaeological conference Ian Hodder discussed re-terming evolution to operate on terms of “fitting-ness” rather than fitness. I’d like to second this.
"The religion question is tough. I don’t much care for the “religion is a cultural virus” sort of Dawkins / meme approach. Don’t care much for memetics period, actually. The problem is with the term “religion,” and that it allows us to think of people with and without it. I prefer “cosmology.” Ben Kamphaus"
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