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The Sex Wars of Transferists & Replicators vs Feminists, Investors and Distributors.
Do Memes Steal from Genes: Faking replicant gene?
Abstract
In her book The Meme Machine, Susan Blackmore argues that memes, as the second replicator alongside genes, are equally selfish and can come into conflict with genetic interests, potentially “stealing” resources from DNA replication. She illustrates this with the example of the meme “Child free,” where the time and energy of a host are directed toward replicating the meme (e.g., social ideas about family size) rather than prioritizing genetic reproduction.
This article explores additional ways memes might compete with or steal from genes. For instance, can a meme imitate or “counterfeit” a gene-replicant strategy? Blackmore notes in her chapter “Sex in the Modern World” that women may be attracted to men with high sexual activity (a gene-replicant trait) because it increases their descendants’ numbers. But what if memes manipulate this attraction? For example, a meme could teach men strategies, such as pickup techniques, to mimic the behavior of a gene-replicant. Women might then invest in these “fake replicants,” reducing their actual genetic success, as the offspring do not inherit this advantageous trait.
This leads to an intriguing question: How does the meme itself replicate if it doesn’t pass nor genetically nor by learning from father through offspring? One hypothesis is that the meme spreads horizontally rather than vertically. Men who successfully use the meme might share it with peers as a social currency transaction, reinforcing its replication via social learning and enjoyment. Over time, this meme might displace genuine gene-replicant traits, thriving at the expense of genetic reproduction.
PS. Yet, why would he took the pick up class? May be he actually had the gene. Or may be there a complex symbiosis which make a little sense to consider memes as a second conflicting replicator.
By examining such dynamics, this article synthesizes how memes can exploit genetic strategies for their replication, highlighting conflicts between these two replicators. The analysis considers the mechanisms by which memes replicate independently of genetic inheritance and their potential to outcompete genes in evolutionary terms.
PS. Yet, why would he take the pickup class? Perhaps he actually had the gene, and the meme only amplified an existing trait. Or perhaps there’s a more complex symbiosis at play, making it less useful to frame memes as entirely separate, conflicting replicators.
The reality might be that many programs—compete and cooperate in ways that defy simple categorization. Does it even make sense to divide them by the type of underlying “hardware,” such as sequence of proteins, paper and ink, or electric charges?
World-model has a more unified view on programs transactions aimed to capture future energy for self replication.
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