Re: virus: Hypocracy

Jake Holub (jake@hooked.net)
Fri, 7 Feb 1997 15:01:05 -0800 (PST)


I have been lurking for a few days.

Finally something that I can attempt to contribute. Criticise away.

A Meta-meme for Hypocracy

Lets start with a dictionary definition.

:a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; esp : the
false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion

I think the meta-memetic strategy of hypocrisy is the strategy of
transmitting a meme to others that your memetic ecology is different
than it currently is.

This strategy does not have any inherant value of Virtue or Sin. This
strategy has been used for altruistic purposed (socrates pretending he
was ignorant or confused) and has also been used for selfish purposes
(Preaching the virtue of charity to convince other to give you money).

This is a very large set of memes. The hypocracy meta-meme is implicit
with successful use of the lying meta-meme.

The meme "My name is George Washington" usually implys that in my
memetic ecology that meme is more dominant than any other "my name is..."
meme, but when I have more dominant "My name is..." memes, it (the george
W. meme) is an explicit lie with implicit hypocrisy.

The meme "I believe I am George Washington" is an explicit lie with
explicit hypocrisy.

The usual use of the word hypocrisy is when you point out a meme that is
in anothers ecology while implying that you do not possess that meme.

There of course is the classic meta-hypocrisy meme "You are a hypocrite". :-)

-Jake Holub