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army1987 comments on Rationality Quotes November 2013 - Less Wrong
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I wish “likely to be beneficent, providing divine authority for behaviors that parents know to be beneficial, behaviors which provide long term rewards but not short term rewards” (for some much less than literal value of “divine”) was a good description of “those who successfully reproduce”. Unfortunately it seems like “too dumb to use a condom” is a much more accurate description. Ever seen 16 and Pregnant? (Or, [pointless dig at the interlocutor removed], who reproduces more in the present-day US, white people or black people?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertility_and_intelligence
From the point of view of your genes, likely to reproduce and beneficial are exactly the same thing. That's trivially true.
Also not particularly interesting even if true: crazy beliefs that get you killed or prevent you from breeding have to spread non-parentally. They don't have to be particularly persuasive or virulent, there just has to be some other mechanism (e.g. state control of education, military discipline, enjoyable but idiotic forms of mass entertainment) to spread them.
The prevalence of these means doesn't even have to depend on the ones spreading the memes adopting them for themselves: there can be an economic motive for those who promote them for others to believe crazy things; like there is for drug dealers to sell rather than use heroin.