The Characteristics Of A Perfect Mind Virus

A perfect mind virus which can capture many minds must possess a few attributes and where they intersect is the perfect spot for it to reside.It must be simple enough to understand and be believed in yet too complex to be perceived and classified as nonsense.A thought will expand in complexity until it becomes untenable just as a person will be promoted until the point that they become incompetent. Complexity theory tells us that there are an infinite number of things we cannot discern as being true or untrue so of course a virus will have to fall into this category which means it will be hidden from inquiring minds for the most part.Secondly it must sound plausable enough that it can be accepted as truth.Naturally it must have strong rewards for it's growth and punishments for those who oppose it..Like evolution in the biosphere thoughts evolve and grow and mutate until one is discovered which satisfies the above qualities.This one and it's progeny will grow and prosper in the fertile soil of human minds.Religion with it's angels and hell and merciful god who runs his own concentration camp fits the mold perfectly and has spread around the world just as theory says it would.

All progress Is Made At The Margins

Scientific and societal progress is made exclusively by a small percentage of the population which is also the most vulnerable.Only under the most special circumstances can progress be made that is under local peace and relative prosperity to provide sustenance to those who advance society.Any strife and it's attendant poverty destroys any chance of advancement as a person's thoughts naturally go towards survival.That which is most beautiful and rare and valuable in society the vanguard of the future or what is possible is created at the margins.What is at the margin of society is of necessity a tiny minority and as such can easily be extinguished even inadvertently.There are many things which can destroy progress but very few which can enhance it.Knowing what can enhance it and supporting these conditions and opposing those ideas which destroy it is amongst our greatest knowledge.

Strong Reciprocity Is Inevitable In A Successful Ideology

All successful ideologies or isms or religions must incorporate the most powerful of human emotions otherwise they will of necessity wither from disinterest.Of course strong reciprocity or the feeling of fairness inherent in people or monkeys even to the point of starvation will be critical or even the guiding principle in a successful ideology.This tendency toward fairness can manifest itself towards equality to a pathological degree.This is socialism or envy rationalised where the center responsible for fairness in the brain submerges all else.Marx of course was afflicted with this pathology so much so that it consumed almost his entire waking life.Likewise religions one and all preach some form of fairness and wealth redistribution but hardly ever production and the circumstances needed to stimulate and grow that production.It is so much easier to take than create.An ideology without or contradicting strong reciprocity must of necessity fail or at least has not succeeded yet.