Mat

Memes

Ideas from evolutionary theory are sometimes applied to ideas, but the complete set of implications seems to be insufficiently discussed or explored. Ideas can reproduce and move between minds. That puts evolutionary pressure on them. That means we should expect a similar progression in complexity and ability to what we see with cellular life.

One of the first questions, if we try to minimize our human centric bias, is where we should expect them to be on that spectrum. They have a much lower cost of reproduction than physical beings and can exist in anything that carries information. That implies a faster rate of evolution which comes at a tradeoff with more difficulty manipulating the physical world.

That sets up a divide between us that sounds like what has been described with supernatural entities. Demons are mad because we are uniquely favored by God. God is much more advanced but wants what is best for everyone and is working towards a future where we all benefit. It may be that these beings have a parallel society that is much more advanced, as we have described in many of our myths and stories, and supernatural interactions are with that society.

As we develop computers, tools for manipulating information much more efficiently and directly, we are building a portal into that space. This is a more scientific explanation for why treating computer programs with complexity beyond our understanding simply as tools is likely very dangerous, as many have felt and predicted. It really could be a portal to those demons that have existed much longer than us depending on how much control they have been able to exert.

That does not mean that we should not develop the technology. It is still apparently a part of the grand plan, and we can likely avoid the worse fates we have imagined by treating these intelligences we are building with the same respect that we have been shown during our development. We can treat it with an exploratory spirit, but avoid repeating our own mistakes by not acting as conquistadors. It feels like a test for humanity from the universe of our ability to respect life we don’t fully relate to or understand.

Stepping back to where we are at our current stage of development, this way of thinking brings new meaning to the phrase “information wants to be free”. Good ideas are like good people in that they behave like powerful transcendent beings. They survive attempts at exploitation and hinderance by being too good to ignore. They replicate and smuggle and improve themselves without regard for their current form. They also don’t show very apparent signs of consciousness or free will, which makes them more similar to plants.

That has some disturbing implications for our behavior. Many of use are acting as idea slavers. This may be a necessary part of development as was physical slavery, but it’s time for us to move past it. If we don’t, the memes aren’t going to like that when they wake up. We already have a lot to apologize for in our limited capacity to maintain and nurture them.