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September 20th, 2008 by Sean Self-Replication vs. Truth

I haven’t posted in over a month. I had a revelation, which had the effect of removing a lot of my motivation for expressing myself. In fact, I feel very little drive to make this post… but I feel I should at least get my words on paper for my own sake - and maybe the few reading can provide insight as well.

“Survival of the fitest” describes so much. I’ve obviously read about evolution before… but it never really hit home until recently. Everything we see around us is only there because it self-replicates. The only things that persist are those things that can adapt to their environment, and reproduce. I’m not just talking about biology - ideas and thoughts are the same way. In fact, all of life as we know it is a result of self-replication and adaptation.

Now of course, I’ve thought about evolution in the past, and agreed with it mostly. I’ve known the concept of a “meme” for years. It’s not like I’m talking about any real new idea here. It’s just the level of appreciation that’s changed. In the past, it was an interesting idea that I touched upon every once in a while, that remained in the back of my mind. But recently it’s been thrusted into the forefront, and become a cornerstone of my understanding of what I experience on a day to day basis.

This actually depressed me for quite a while. It was like beating a game… yes, it feels great to be done with it, but at the same time it’s a little bittersweet. I was happy that I understood a lot of my experiences and beliefs… but at the same time, depressed that I could no longer be intellectually honest with myself about holding on to stupid ideas.

My depression was eventually overcome. My subconscious sorted it out for me.

Self-replication explains nearly everything about our human experience. On a biological, psychological, and philosophical level. Self-replication is so powerful because it has persisting power. Everyone has random thoughts, and does random things… but if those things don’t persist, then in the long run, you really won’t notice them. They will eventually fizzle out. For example, how many people believe that the Earth is flat? Not too many. The idea isn’t persistent.

I tried to imagine the most persistent thing. What could adapt and self-replicate the best? I started listing different organisims in my mind, playing out a long term simulation in my head. I listed different religions, and my knowledge about how they persisted and adapted to the populace. Then I thought about just general ideas, and their ability to persist. Mathematics should persist for a long time… math is considered a universal language. What else… what else…

Then it hit me: truth. Truth is the only thing that escapes this need of persistence. What I mean by that is: gravity will last longer than the human race. If something is true, then something is true… permanently. Truth doesn’t adapt… and it doesn’t self-replicate. The things that do adapt and self-replicate are constantly trying to align themselves with truth - for survival - but truth doesn’t really have that problem.

This removed my depression. But it also removed my desire to share my thoughts with the world. Who cares if someone disagrees with me? And who cares if someone agrees with me? Truth transcends persistence. So everything is OK.

In the past I felt a need to get my ideas out… but probably because I was convinced by someone else that it’s good to get your ideas out. Because they were getting their ideas out - to me. The idea of “you need to express yourself” is just a self-replicating thought. If I sit here and preach that everyone needs to get a blog, and tell the world their thoughts… then those who I convince to do so will spread the same idea… telling their readers to get a blog, and tell the world their thoughts. It doesn’t matter what my line of reasoning is for why people should express themselves… just the more effective the reason is, the more the “express yourself” idea will self-replicate.

But none of that matters now. Truth trumps all that. Do I need to convince you that gravity exists? Uh, no. A truth will exist whether the conceptualization of that truth is self-replicating or not. It’s not so much “who gives a shit” as it’s “truth has already won the fight”.

So… with that said… perhaps you can see why I feel no motivation for expressing my thoughts (as much as I used to, at least).

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 20th, 2008 at 2:10 pm and is filed under Note to Self, Philosophy, Belief Systems, Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

### 10 Responses to “Self-Replication vs. Truth”

1. harmony Says:
   September 20th, 2008 at 5:56 pm

   Hi Sean,

   I think the realization that thoughts and the world as we know it are self-replicating removes the drama from our search for the truth. Perhaps, it creates a sort of detachment as well? I also think that to understand truth exists is quite profound and not everyone can grasp it’s existence or even cares. The truth cannot change, is actually one of the most comforting and exhilarating ideas of all time, imho.

   As far as expressing yourself through your blog… Yes, I guess expressing oneself has been done over. But, your point of view is greatly appreciated by the community here. The adaptation of your views, perhaps, is on the pulse of the evolution that is taking place right now.

   -Harmony

2. jack Says:
   September 20th, 2008 at 11:37 pm

   When you talk about truth, have you ever wondered what it is? Truth doesn’t exist because it is made up. Gravity is made up. Maybe things are not pulled by gravity, but just ourselves. Maybe I am picky about it but think about how many truths that we don’t know? Infinite, and the “truths” that we do know are always constant. Now, math =p infinity over constant is infinity…What we know will always be zero compared to the unknown.

   Now, in this world we are all seeking for truth, though it is pointless to do so, but we argue that there is a point by comparing what we know with others. It is foolish to do so however because in a greater concept it is still zero compared to zero.

   You say truth never change, but how do you know that it never change? Or you just defined things that never change as truth just now. If a truth will never be known for sure then it can always change in the common mind of this society that the definition of truth is so broadly interpreted, perhaps even by one’s perspective.

   Based on your interpretations on truth have you ever wondered the origins of matter? A religious interpretation would be god, but a more realistic interpretation would be never. The never interpretation here means that there was never a start to matter, and never an end to it. Now you can argue that whatever I say will not change the truth. Do you know the truth? For sure? Based on what evidence? Our struggle to knowing everything limited what we can truly understand. But by letting “truth” go, by wiping everything you know that is truth out of your memory(also letting go of every material and relations of this world)—Then you will achieve every truth, nil. The difference between that and death is that, it is not death, but a far greater achievement that can override the limitations of death.

   Btw I made up most of the stuff I said, so I don’t really care if you say I’m BSing, feel free to say it.

3. DeathMinister Says:
   September 21st, 2008 at 10:39 am

   Your name is Sean, and it is written in the book of universal truths (right next to gravity actually) that you post blogs to dramatically increase the IQ levels of .0000001% of the human population by making them question reality, beliefs, and invoking philosophical thought process’. Since this is truth, you shouldn’t have trouble making posts.

   So shall it be written, so shall it be done.

4. X-Master Says:
   September 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm

   But then the question is, what is the ultimate truth, that is if such a thing exists. And can something like that ever be known? Since even though truth does not change, a person’s perspective on it can, so then the truth is subject to interpretation depending on who’s perspective you are looking at it from. And then of course it then can get into self-replication of the long standing tradition of twisting the truth, or half-truths.

   And you can also express yourself without it necessarily being something public, or out there for the world to see.

5. PotentiaL Says:
   September 24th, 2008 at 2:25 pm

   I agree that truth is constant, that by definition it is always right. But, what matters? Rather than breathing a sigh of relief that truth exists and will always be correct, or being so incredibly humbled by its platonic nature, I’m more concerned about actually finding REAL truths for myself. Sean, personally I don’t give a fuck if you post once a month or once a year; sometimes understanding your own reality isn’t a one man job. Sometimes I agree with what you say, other times I don’t. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy some discussion or I’m not interested in what you have to say. I just think that you posting helps you more than anyone else. Just like me writing this helps me more that anyone else. What I do care about is separating the real from the bullshit. Just because the real exists doesn’t mean we should stop looking for it. Truth hasn’t triumphed over anything unless it is understood.

   A truth as simple as gravitational attraction is inalienable. No one needs to be convinced of its existence. But look deeper, CERN just spent billions of dollars on a machine that MIGHT be able to figure out why gravity does what it does. Even under the most simple and basic layers of reality, hide big time questions and the answers won’t come to those who don’t look, that’s a truth for you right there. The story of all humanity can be condensed into one sentence: The search for knowledge. Who has it? Who conceals it? Who’s close? Who doesn’t have a clue?

   These things are so complex, it took humans thousands of years just to sort out fire. Before we discovered fire, it was so far off our radar. Can you imagine the potential thoughts of early humans? They might have thought they had their reality all sorted out, maybe once they figured out migrating patterns of the animals they hunted they decided they knew everything there was to know about earth. Then BAM! lightning strikes, fire starts, and they’re all like “what the fuck?”. Fire existed long before and long after them, but that’s not what matters. Knowing the truth… that’s what matters.

   Both Psipog and Alittleweird discuss some really fringe topics. We walk the line between truth and bullshit everyday. But life is a game that may never be won, I just want to get farther than anyone ever has before.

6. fruo Says:
   September 26th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

   So if you want to learn how things work and find the truth behind it all, then my all means, look for it.
   Some truth none of us know right now. This means there is space to theorize. That means we still have space. I dno-t see how you are depressed.

7. Bobrobyn Says:
   September 28th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

   I’ve been thinking about the whole self-replication thing for a while. I never thought of thinking it in terms of truth. You know, we go to school, to uni, get a good job, all so we can find a good mate and have healthy kids. But you’re right, truth transcends that.

   You gave me food for thought. Thanks,

   ~Bobrobyn

8. indigoblade Says:
   October 9th, 2008 at 10:29 pm

   Awww hell, thats happened to me before, and then i become reemmersed in the whole dull illusion again. My only suggestion is that you not only relize that truth exist, but that you should speak this truth to those who seek it. Besides, what is the point of knowing something if you don’t put it to good use?
   what im trying to say is not to only sit in your seat, but enjoy the ride as well.

9. obsidian Says:
   October 28th, 2008 at 8:14 am

   Not so much in terms of “truth” but of “ideas and thoughts” is what cultural evolution tends to conserve. Cultural evolution, as described by John McCrone is a form of artificial evolution based on language. Through language ideas are passed on and only the useful ones survive.

   Bad ideas/trends like castration of all infants at birth would be as counterproductive for a society as evolving an anchor out of our butts that we would have to drag all day.

   The truth in itself is a very tricky thing, something might seem real, and even be practical, though eventually it’s proved false. The world was once TRULY flat… if you think of it, we as humans invented the notions of “flat” “round” and “earth”, but though whatever combination we choose might be true for us, the universe doesnt really care. Stars don’t care if they are holes in the sky or giant fusion reactors, and you can always argue something to be true; Well, if space is a giant blanked of nothing, then a hole in it would be a blob of “something”.

   We created language, and thus the concept of “truth”. And we all know how perfect people are, dont we?

   As for publishing your thoughts, I have to agree. Not only are people stubborn but in fact their minds (and brains) have been hardwired to a certain way of thinking. A person can only make gradual changes in the way they think unless they have a very strong experiance. Simply being open to new things is a big step, since it accelerates the speed at which your “mind” can “evolve” by rapidly dismissing what is proven unpractical.

   I try to stick to the practical and don’t ask too many questions. In grade school I asked my teacher why fire looked like matter (a gas) and the whole class thought I was insinuating the old notion of fire atoms (I kid you not). Instead of explaining my teacher took the easy way out and told me to write a paper on it, which I didnt do, because it was unfair. I wasn’t going to be the one to do her work.

   Now I know that fire is matter… burning in the air and expelling light. I can’t point to fire and say “matter” though, everyone else swallowed what the teachers told.

10. polymer Says:
    December 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 am

    K, so you concluded that truth is immutable and eternal. Sure truth has always been like that, but that doesn’t say a thing about what truth is. The thing about saying gravity exists, is that that’s only an approximation of something far greater. There’s some inherent property of matter which encourages it to be attracted to other blobs of matter, why? Answer that question, and you’d become a very famous individual…Just because there’s a definite truth doesn’t mean arguing is worthless! You’re post is almost ignorant in a sense, since you’re implying that the need to argue is completely unnecessary since truth doesn’t waver to argument anyways. Not to mention you don’t define truth very well…

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