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Natural selection is a good model not just for technology, but for ideas in general. Ideas have their own lifespans and virality coefficients, but they're like
by xyzrr 4y ago
Natural selection is a good model not just for technology, but for ideas in general. Ideas have their own lifespans and virality coefficients, but they're like viruses in that they depend on their hosts, so their fitness is partially dependent on the fitness of their hosts. That's why our morals exist, because societies that had them were more fit than societies where everyone was totally selfish. We don't like to think of morality in terms of fitness though, because of our morals, ironically.
- amelius 4y ago> Natural selection is a good model not just for technology, but for ideas in general. Didn't social media show that not the best ideas win, but the most juicy ones? Technology might not be taking us where you think it takes us.
- keiferski 4y agoNatural selection doesn’t imply that the “best” organism wins.
- yetihehe 4y agoNope, social media only shows that juicy ideas spread more efficiently. Do they stay long with us? Not many of them do.
- JaimeThompson 4y agoQanon has been with us for years.
- Infernal 4y agoPrior to the 20th century, communicating ideas had a much higher cost. If we're talking about natural selection with respect to ideas, then we have to consider the last 100+ years as a massive environmental shift that we have not yet adapted to.
- kuhewa 4y ago> That's why our morals exist, because societies that had them were more fit than societies where everyone was totally selfish Or, our morals exist because they allowed us to steamroll other less selfish and more altruistic groups because we were able to frame them as outgroup 'others'.