Economic structures are memeplexes that have the power to unconsciously alter their material and memetic environments for their survival advantage. For ease and brevity I will address the defensive structures of Corporate Capitalism only, although all economic structures deserve to be equally scrutinized.
Corporate Capitalism engineers its memetic environment to be hospitable to the perpetuation of its memeplex. It creates copyright laws and patents. It shapes education to introduce ideas of intellectual property and centralized, privately-funded research for capital gain. It shapes distribution of resources and information, funneling material resources to allies (the State, the Church) and away from individuals and small business which might undermine its survival.
For some, Corporate Capitalism is inextricably intertwined with their emotions and self-perceptions. They avoid exposure to competing ideas. They see the ideology as unquestionable, even when policy implementation spells disaster. But this blind devotion of a few is not enough to keep the system afloat. Even the support of a majority fed on media propaganda is not enough to perpetuate an economic system over generations.
For some, Corporate Capitalism is inextricably intertwined with their emotions and self-perceptions. They avoid exposure to competing ideas. They see the ideology as unquestionable, even when policy implementation spells disaster. But this blind devotion of a few is not enough to keep the system afloat. Even the support of a majority fed on media propaganda is not enough to perpetuate an economic system over generations.
The bottom line which keeps Corporate Capitalism going is the dependency of every person (or their strong belief in their dependency) to be rewarded and sustained by the system. As long as a person is dependent on a paycheck to cover the mortgage and the groceries, that person is a loyal cog in the economic system.
Ecological mapping of economic memeplex development, introduction and competition might reveal new insights to historians studying the colonization of Africa, the fall of the Iron Curtain and the suburbanization of the United States.
Note: Stating that memeplexes have the power of a replicator to adapt, grow and shape social and natural environments provides a counterbalance to the fear-mongers who think the world is run by an elite conspiracy. Check out Noam Chomsky's short talk on differentiating between interest-based actions vs. conspiracy theories.
[Again, this analysis of economic structures as memeplexes which alter environments for their survival advantage should be applied to investigating all forms of economic organization.]
Continue to Sophisticated Immune Systems: Science [Four]
Continue to Sophisticated Immune Systems: Science [Four]
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