For me, this is a standard technique. Whenever someone tells me how altruistic they are or have been, I try and figure out which replicators are likely to be involved in the display. It often makes a difference whether someone’s brain has been hijacked by memes—whether they are signalling their status to prospective business partners, their wealth to prospective mates—or whatever.
For example, if they are attempting to infect me with the same memes that have hijacked their own brain, my memetic immune system is activated—whereas if they are trying to convince people what a fine individual they are, my reaction is different.
For me, this is a standard technique. Whenever someone tells me how altruistic they are or have been, I try and figure out which replicators are likely to be involved in the display. It often makes a difference whether someone’s brain has been hijacked by memes—whether they are signalling their status to prospective business partners, their wealth to prospective mates—or whatever.
For example, if they are attempting to infect me with the same memes that have hijacked their own brain, my memetic immune system is activated—whereas if they are trying to convince people what a fine individual they are, my reaction is different.