Antimemetics

The world, after all, is more than just what we inherit. It’s what we choose to notice, nurture, and build. Everything around us – for worse, yes, but also for the better – is made up of where we direct our attention. If we learn to channel it wisely, we can decide what type of future we want to see.

Antimemes are hugely consequential; they can derail not just our lives, but the communities we belong to, which is why we suppress them.

What I’ve finally come to understand is that how we think directly influences how we act.

that where we direct our focus determines what becomes real. Mastering control of our attention is how we “not only remake the world but are ourselves remade.”[42]

Using only our minds, we can make the world as beautiful or ugly as we wish.

Simler uses the example of academic research to demonstrate how this works in “Going Critical.” He distinguishes between Real Science, or “whatever habits and practices reliably produce knowledge,” and careerists, who are “motivated by personal ambition.” Careerists “gum up the works” of Real Science communities, promoting themselves instead of con

This sort of forgetfulness shows up frequently in our personal behavior.

A truth-teller is an individual to whom we assign the burden of bringing our shared fears, doubts, and taboos to light.

Some taboos – such as stealing, cheating, or lying – don’t budge within most networks.