Just now, while emptying my mind, I stared at the trees outside the laboratory and noticed that the branches on the trees were constantly fractalizing, with larger branches producing smaller branches, and the smaller branches themselves repeating the same process. This pattern immediately reminded me of recursion.
In computer science, recursion refers to the behavior of calling oneself in a function or process, it is a repetitive process. The reason why I mention this concept here is because in recursion, the most magical feeling for me is that it creates itself in this process, and the problem (often a search problem) is solved through the continuous process of self-creation. It is a very magical feeling. In today's discussion, the recursion we define is such a self-replicating pattern. This definition may not strictly conform to the various properties of recursion in algorithms, but for today's discussion, it is worth borrowing this concept.
Memes and Genes#
I previously posted a memos to discuss where religion got it right. I believe it is because any religion that has survived has a strong requirement to pass itself on. Although each believer has a different understanding of God, just as genes cannot guarantee complete similarity in replication, religion cannot be faithfully passed down. But the key is that it successfully replicates itself in the minds of the new generation of believers, and if the replicated version also includes the habit/doctrine of continuing to preach, then the religion has successfully survived.
This principle has almost the same correspondence in biological evolution. Any species that has survived until now has a strong need, either at the population or individual level, to pass on its genes. As a carrier of self-replicating genes, whether it is humans or any other organism, many behaviors are designed to maximize the possibility of reproducing the next generation. Because although genes do not have thoughts, existence itself is meaningful, and continuous existence, combined with the pressure of selection, can give birth to various complex contents unconsciously. And as long as it exists, even though the original genes may have been changed beyond recognition in billions of years, compared to other things that do not have a tendency for self-replication, such as rocks, tectonic movements, and all non-living things, these genes have left a more distinct mark.
It can be said that from this perspective, life is the product of genes self-replicating under the pressure of selection.
In addition to passing on their genetic material, people also hope to pass on the culture, language, and ideas they have accepted. This thing transmitted in culture, corresponding to genes in biology, is called a meme.
I obtained the concept of memes while watching videos on Bilibili. At that time, I also thought of the "atheist" entry I browsed on Wikipedia. The population distribution section recorded that the proportion of atheists has been decreasing in various countries in recent years. When I read this point at that time, I was only puzzled and did not have a good explanation for this phenomenon.
But understanding memes has a similar significance to genes, and even various cultural phenomena follow this rule, I found that this might be the answer. Although religion is foolish at the individual level, religion itself has a strong requirement to pass itself on, so it can continue to reproduce in this era when God is becoming less important. And simply opposing the existence of God itself is not a meme that expects self-replication, so it is difficult for the atheist population to stably occupy a larger proportion in society. If you want to fight against the ignorance of religion, you need a knowledge and ideas that long for their own existence. This may itself have a strong "religious flavor".
Memes and Recursion#
Through the previous discussion on the self-replication of religion and the branching of trees, I wanted to come to a conclusion, that the existence of religion is also a form of recursion, a pattern similar to biological evolution. Most of those that can survive in the long years are like this, with a basic pattern and a tendency to replicate themselves. However, recursion in these two examples has given me an understanding of two different meanings of recursion.
The example of trees tells us that the benefits of branching at the individual level are the trial and error process and the exploration space it brings. Whether it is for humans or trees, the search space they face is too vast and difficult to understand. By preserving the opportunity to explore in various directions and then pruning the branches based on the results. This is the logic followed by the development of both trees and human society. It is also this logic that leads to insights such as greatness cannot be planned in the process of scientific and industrial exploration.
When discussing culture or religion, what we focus on is the meaning of repetition itself. Without the tendency for self-replication, there would be no opportunity for trial and error, and it would be difficult to exist in a longer time dimension.
Underneath each self-replicating pattern, we can see the heuristic brought by the pressure of selection. For example, in the case of trees, there are two parts, branches and roots, both of which have a branching structure and replicate themselves. The function of the branches is photosynthesis, so although the branches grow in different directions, the ones that grow the best are in the direction with the best sunlight. So in the end, we see that the branches of this tree are "striving to grow upwards". The function of the roots is to absorb nutrients and water, so although the underground part of the tree does not have a clear direction like the aboveground part, it also follows its own heuristic and is passively selected by the environment.
Interestingly, at first glance, the branching of trees occurs in space, but it is also a continuous exploration in time. And the trial and error of human culture also occurs in different times and spaces. Such observations may not point to any meaningful results, but simply contemplating them gives me a profound feeling.