Memetics

Because much of it strikes me as silly, I'm not really fond of memetics. I do want to make one point from the "field", however.

The reason species survive over time is evolution: variation within the population, some of which provide advantages over another, causing an adaptive radiation of those traits.

Ideas need to be the same way. In order to survive through time, they must exhibit the flexibility that allows variation over time, to adapt to new cultural contexts. A rigid idea is less likely to survive, given that culture changes over time.

I am, of course, presently considering this in the context of religion, though it clearly need not be restricted as such:

• "conservative" beliefs are less likely to express longevity;
• science-as-pseudo-religion is likely to survive quite a long time because of its inherent flexibility.