permaculture

[Heide Hermary <heidehermary@pacificcoast.net>]

What an interesting concept. (I actually had been musing about it since 
you brought it up earlier). Since a virus has no independent "life" of 
its own, but hijacks a host's metabolism to complete its life cycle, 
just about anything that makes up our social cultures could be 
considered "viral" by nature. How do we define culture? Just a belief 
system about how life works? What's important, what's not? What's right, 
what's wrong?  The way I see it it all starts from thoughts / ideas, 
language being the carrier of thoughts. Instead of "idea's catching on", 
we then have people catching ideas (like catching a virus).  Just as 
people are immune to some viruses, they are"immune" to some ideas.

Then are are those who purposely spread ideas for their own benefit 
(chemical warfare in this analogy?). That's were politics fits in in my 
mind, especially of exploitive and war mongering kind. I think I'd 
better keep the rest of my musings to myself....
Cheers, Heide

Rick Valley wrote:

> Ever since I got Claude's response to my posting about the desireability for
> many mutations in human culture, and countered with my question, "if viruses
> promote genetic mutation, what would be the mutation promoting analog for
> human cultures" I've been hearing that question in my mind.
> Didn't have any takers though, so no one wins any of the *fabulous prizes*
> our sponsors have generously donated.
> I had been thinking that religion might be one answer; or myth or meme, if
> you're trying to get the minimum size package, as in a virus.
> What came to me immediately with Claude's use of the word "virus" was Wm.
> Burrough's sound bite "language is a virus from outerspace".
> -Rick
>
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